CONFERENCE TO SEE MINISTER THURSDAY

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31632, 19 March 1968, Page 1

CONFERENCE TO SEE MINISTER THURSDAY

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, March 18.

A delegation from the “Peace, Power and Politics in Asia” conference will try to persuade the Minister of Finance (Mr Muldoon) on Thursday to reverse his decision on the use of overseas funds to bring three speakers to New Zealand, the chairman of the conference (Mr Alister Taylor) said today.

Mr Taylor said Thursday was apparently the earliest the Minister could receive the delegation. “We consider this to be an important matter of principle, and even though we’ve had $lO,OOO in overseas funds offered to pay the fares we believe the Minister should reverse his decision,” said Mr Taylor.

The president of the New Zealand Rationalists’ Association (Mr P. Campbell) has sent a telegram to Mr Muldoon protesting at the Reserve Bank’s decision not to allow overseas funds to be used to bring speakers to the conference. “The refusal to allow New Zealanders to pay the speakers’ fares with their own overseas funds smacks of oppression and is an outright negation of the democracy and freedom the country professes to uphold,” he said. Otago Staff

A second University of Otago staff group—from the English department—has protested about the Reserve Bank’s refusal of overseas funds to bring three speakers to the conference. The seven staff members have written to the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) to express their disapproval “as individuals engaged professionally in the free interchange of ideas.” On Friday, 29 other members of the academic staff sent a telegram of protest to Mr Muldoon.

The English department staff have told the Prime Minister: “We believe that in such a situation as the present crisis concerning our Vietnam policy it is in the national interest to have as full and informed a discussion as possible on the suc-

cess or failure of that policy and of alternatives to it. “The Reserve Bank’s decision, however much it may follow precedents considered ■normal policy,’ discourages such free and open discussion and is thus not in the national interest “If music societies, universities, and other organisations and institutions are granted permission to pay the fares of overseas visitors whose presence would be of value to the the community, then policy should be flexible enough to allow similar privileges for this conference. “We ask you as Prime Minister to request the Reserve Bank to reconsider its decision. To do less would be to allow rigid bureaucratic procedures to take precedence over the vital interests of the community at large.” Marlborough Committee

The Marlborough Committee for Peace in Vietnam made a statement today through the committee’s vicechairman (Mr H. Jurgensen). “Mr Muldoon maintains that the initial decision came from the Reserve Bank. It should be noted, however, that the Exchange Control Regulations, 1965, make the allocating of funds subject to the Minister’s consent. The final responsibility for the refusal is therefore Mr Muldoon’s.” Mr Muldoon told “The Press” Parliamentary reporter tonight that in agreeing to meet a deputation from the conference committee on Thursday he had insisted that there should be no Communists in the deputation. Mr Taylor had agreed to that condition. But in the light of continuing “statements of a propaganda nature” from Mr Taylor, he had to reconsider seriously whether it was worth while

receiving a deputation at all, said Mr Muldoon.

“Mr Taylor has accused me of delaying tactics. The fact is that I have an extremely busy week as a result of the gold crisis of the week-end. I have fitted in the deputation at the earliest possible moment”