Mr Marshall Proves A Gifted Spokesman

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31539, 29 November 1967, Page 28

Mr Marshall Proves A Gifted Spokesman

(From the London correspondent of “The Press") LONDON, November 28. Whatever their political views, New Zealanders can feel satisfied that in the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Marshall) they have a remarkable and perhaps increasingly gifted spokesman on international trade. 1

Fresh from his talks in Geneva, Mr Marshall gave a singularly impressive performance at a press conference in London last night.

In the competitive atmosphere of London journalism, press conferences can be exacting and even hazardous for the subject. Dropped bricks tend to resound with especial clangour and British journalists are perhaps uniquely skilled at recognising them, even prompting them. Mr Marshall this time faced about 30 newspaper and television journalists and photographers. Questions Anticipated His opening remarks, given without notes, were economical and lucid. Indeed, he supplied most of the answers before the questions were asked. Only moments before the conference he had heard the news of Presiden* de Gaulle’s frustration of the British effort to join the Common Market. Perhaps this gave strength to his arm. Without dramatics such as pledges of loyalty to the mother country, he nevertheless personified New Zealand as a country steadfast, linked with Britain both in trade and defence.

Yet he was straightforward. At one stage he said in as many words that British exporters had until recently been inclined to take the New Zealand market for granted. “Because they had been trading with New Zealand for over a century they expected that trade would continue as in the past,” he said. “But in recent years there has been considerably greater interest in the New Zealand market on the part of Japan, the United States and Australia.” Butter Price He was frank, as for instance when asked whether New Zealand devaluation would lower the price of butter in Britain; he said he thought the price which was

fixed by the level of demand, would stay the same. “I wish we had been able to fix the price,” he said. “We would have fixed it a good deal higher.” He was realistic. “From New Zealand’s point of view a North Atlantic free trade association is a very attracttive proposal, but it is not yet in the field of practical politics, and while New Zealand might well be a beneficiary to such an association, I regret to say that New Zealand is not likely to have much influence in bringing it about.” American Aircraft He was even slightly provocative. “Last time I was here one of the burning questions was the fact that we had bought American aircraft foi 1 our internal airlines. Since then we have redressed this slight lapse by buying in Britain a frigate which costs twice as much as the aircraft we might have bought.” He was shrewd. He made a deep impression with his illustration of New Zealand’s problems with the E.E.C. protectionists by citing the instance of butter being dumped in the East Indies at £stgls3 a ton compared with £stg694 a ton charged in Common Market countries. New Zealand’s price on the British market is £stg3os a ton. Perhaps the best compliment to Mr Marshall is that when he gives such a press conference, his advisers cam sit by him—without flinching.