Further French Test Protest?

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30536, 3 September 1964, Page 1

Further French Test Protest?

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, September 3.

The Government was considering taking further action on the proposed French nuclear tests in the Pacific, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said in Parliament today.

He said the New Zealand permanent representative at the United Nations had canvassed all countries in the United Nations on the question but no support could be found for a concerted effort.

Mr Holyoake was replying to a question from Mr S. A. Whitebead (Opp., Nelson) who asked if he had seen a report in which the Australian Minister of External Affairs (Mr Paul Hasluck) was reported to have said in reply to a question from a Labour member that he had no knowledge of a request from the Prime Minister of New Zealand for Australian support in a protest against the proposed nuclear tests in the Pacific by France. Mr Whitehead further asked how the Prime Minister reconciled this statement with his own statement in the

House to the effect that he had been unable to get any support from any country in the southern hemisphere against the testing of nuclear weapons in the Pacific. Mr Holyoake said the report was inaccurate in that it was not a complete statement of what Mr Hasluck said. Mr Hasluck had also said that the request could have been made before be succeeded to office which was in April this year. In reply to supplementary questions, Mr Holyoake said he did not think a request had been made to the Australian Government on the question of the French nuclear tests since April but on several occasions previously the question had been taken up with Australia.