RUSSIANS WOULD ASSEMBLE CARS

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30186, 18 July 1963, Page 15

RUSSIANS WOULD ASSEMBLE CARS

(New Zealand Preet Association)

WELLINGTON. July 17. New Zealanders could soon be driving to work in toe Muscovitch and leaving the Volga at home for their wives to do the shipping. ' A three-man delegation from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Trade said today the Soviet Union would be prepared to assemble Russian cars In New Zealand and set up a chain of servicing garages if demand warranted it. These cars would be particularly suitable for New Zealand roads, toe leader. Mr G. S. Bourgoutchev, said. The mission is here to negotiate a “moot favoured nation” trade agreement with toe New Zealand Government It is expected to meet toe Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Marshall) tomorrow’. It has power to sign toe

agreement for the Soviet Government. ’ Mr Bourgoutchev said he was confident the agreement would be signed. It would make a considerable difference to tariffs on goods flowing between the two countrie®. Other products likely to interest New • Zealanders were refritferetore-—consider-ably cheaper in Russia than in New Zealand—textiles, wheat, oil and steel products. The trade agreement would reduce the 10 per cent, tariff on New Zealand wool entering Russia to nothing. In spite of being one of the world’s biggest wool producers, the Soviet Union imported 55300 tons in 1961. Russia would also be interested in New Zealand meat, hides and skins, and tallow.