FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30998, 2 March 1966, Page 8

FREE TRADE AGREEMENT

Slow Methods Criticised

“Surely, there should be an ability to get commodities into the New Zealand-Austra-lia Free Trade Agreement, or considered for that agreement with reasonable urgency,” said Mr H. W. Revell in Christchurch yesterday.

He was speaking at a round-th etable discussion at a meeting of the Export Action Group of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association yesterday, when the group met the Export Liaison Officer for the Canterbury district (Mr D. N. Hull).

Mr Revell said that some New Zealand manufacturers were given the opportunity of suggesting product groups for this agreement—a lot were not.

“There was a commodity I would have liked to have seen in the agreement,” he said.

Mr Revell said that he had been advised by Mr Hull that it would take 18 months before a decision could be made.

“That seems a real brickwall,” said Mr Revell. “Why can’t we have people looking at these things every day?”

Mr Hull said he was not sure whether the list was not to be reviewed until after two years, or whether it shall be reviewed after two years. He said he thought the attitude at the moment was that it would be reviewed in two years. Mr Revell: I have your assurance that something will be done about it? The association secretary (Mr R. T. Alston): We will take it up at federation level.