All Fighting For Footholds

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30603, 20 November 1964, Page 1

All Fighting For Footholds

Every other country was fighting to get a foothold in Southeast Asia by establishing joint ventures with South-east Asian manufacturers, prior to the putting on of tariffs, said the deputyleader of the New Zealand trade mission to South-east Asia (Mr R. H. Stewart) last evening.

This applied particularly to Singapore and Malaya which were going to put tariffs on ail goods. “Unless you are in within six to 12 months, you will be out for good,” he said. “My point of view as a manufacturer, is to go to a place like Singapore and set up a joint venture.” Mr Stewart said that from Singapore it would be possible to distribute the goods over a wide area. Seventy shipping lines served the city and

some 70 boats were going out of the port each day. “We could export from Singapore back to Australia but it is possible that the Australians would not like that,” said Mr Stewart. ”1 don’t know whether this Government would like it or not, but we could export from Singapore back to New Zealand.” Mr Stewart described such joint-ventures in South-east Asia between New Zealand manufacturing companies and South-east Asian manufacturers, as a “long-term broad view.” Mr Stewart said it might cost £5 million to create a New Zealand maufacturing image in South-east Asia but it would be well worth while if New Zealand got £lO million back. “We must look at this thing broadly and with strength,” said Mr Stewart.

When he returned to New Zealand, said Mr Stewart, he found it depressing to be bogged down again by a lack of materials, lack of capacity and staff. “We come back somewhat dampened down,” he said. “We ask ‘can we do this?’ “Let’s get out right away and let nothing stop us from getting more exchange. Let’s get out and do it. “I want this now—not in five years time. I expect someone to say ‘okay, we will go and get it’.” Mr Stewart said he thought he was expressing the sentiments of all the members of the mission. The trade mission, he said, would probably pick up orders for 12 months of about £500,000. It would probably sell about £5 million in five years. The Mayor of Christchurch

(Mr G. Manning) offered the assistance of the city council to help Christchurch manufacturers in any way it could in developing manufactured goods for export. TV Probe to Mars.—The Federal Space Agency, said today it planned to launch another television probe to the planet Mars on November 27 with a metal spacecraft cover replacing a fibreglass shroud that failed on an earlier shot. —Cape Kennedy, November 18.