Mr Kirk Says Move Overdue

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31500, 14 October 1967, Page 14

Mr Kirk Says Move Overdue

The decision to lower the price level for Wool Commission buying was long overdue, said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Kirk), in Christchurch last night.

While the circumstances of this latest move are not surprising, the manner in which it has been conducted contributes to an unhappy muddle. ■ ■ ,

“Th« immediate effect is to ensure that nobody knows what may happen ana apparently people have precious

little idea wherj they are heading. In these serious circumstances, it is deeply disturbing that nobody knows what is meant when neither the Government, the Prime Minister nor the Wop! Commission, says anything,” Mr Kirk said. “Only this morning a suggestion that some such step might be taken was described by the chairman of the Wool Commission as an unhelpful rumour and he said that certain reports relating to this from Bradford were incorrect. "The maner in which the announcement was made has been badly handled and steps to stop further buying-in, while welcome, are overdue. To the extent which the new proposal increases the volume of wool sold, it will be good; but anything that falls short of a complete termination of buying-in still be unsatisfactory,” said Mr Kirk. "The announced change goes some distance : towards meeting the Labour Party's views, but is only one of sev-

> eral steps that must be taken ■ if the desirable stability of - producer’s income and maxis mum exchange earning in the r national interest can be > achieved. “The Prime Minister with r his customary evasion was reported as saying he did not . know whether any such step > was planned, and that no proI posal was being considered. I “This type of evasion sug--1 gests a credibility gap of . greater proportions than the s stockpile of wool. The people . need to know and have a right tb know clearly and , frankly what is going on and i what is going to be done. It ; seems odd that all that was , accomplished by this verbal dodging was to deny the New , Zealand public who are most • vitally concerned, informa- ; tion which could be transt mitted from the other side f of the world to wool buyers . in New Zealand,*’ said Mr Kirk. i “It is clearly necessary for i the industry in conjunction s with the Government to have - a good look at the functions

and constitution of the Wool Commisssion. It seems ridiculous that an organisation that has become the unwilling owner of nearly 700,000 bales of wool, has not a soul overseas trying to arrange sales on its behalf. “There are good grounds for believing that the general pattern that has been employed with considerable success by the Dairy Board, could be emulated to some degree by a re-constituted Wool Commission, with some new powers and responsibilities in the national interest,” said Mr Kirk.