Ministers Answer Questions

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31737, 22 July 1968, Page 12

Ministers Answer Questions

(N.Z. Press Association)

AUCKLAND, July 21. Three Cabinet Ministers were questioned for about an hour at a meeting of about 200 members of the Junior National Party and other National Party members in Aucklahd tonight. The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Marshall), the Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton) and the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) were asked questions ranging from Government policy oh Rhodesia to salaries for members of Parliament. Replying to a question on bilateral trade with Russia and Czechoslovakia, Mr Marshall said that New Zealand had received no offers from Czechoslovakia and no substantial offers from the Soviet Union. Talk of Russian proposals to take large amounts of New Zealand wool was unfounded. Russian Goods Mr Shelton said that last week he had issued licences to New Zealand firms to import Russian goods to the value of $lOO,OOO. In the last five years he had issued import licences for 300 Russian cars but the Russians had not sent them. Mr Marshall added that it sometimes looked good to be able to exchange goods which were difficult to sell, but the goods other people had to offer in return were not always wanted.

Mr K. C. Ewington, of the Auckland University Young

Nationals asked: “To what extent does the Government regard the post of High Commissioner in Ottawa as a consolation prize to politicians no longer serving in the Government?” Mr Marshall replied: "We think that men who have had Ministerial experience are the best men to fill such commissioners’ posts. We wish we had more of them.” Export Costs Mr Taiboys was asked if any consideration had been given to calling tenders for the shipping of New Zealand exports in an attempt to cut costs. His answer was that New Zealand needed refrigerated transport and there were not so many suitable ships that tendering would be feasible. “We have built up a pretty good arrangement for shipping refrigerated produce from New Zealand, under great difficulty,” he said. On the two month price freeze, Mr Marshall was asked what would happen when the freeze was lifted, assuming that a general wage order would be soon be made. He expected there would be price increases but not many. Some manufacturers, importers or distributors dealing in imported goods or goods with imported content would be forced to pass on increases in import costs. But many import price increases had been absorbed in the last six months. Below Expectation

The Government had expected a general increase of 4 per cent in prices as a direct result of devaluation, he said. In fact, the increase had been considerably less. This was not because importers paid less but because they found that to maintain their sales they had to keep their prices keen. There was loud laughter when one speaker suggested to the Deputy Prime Minister that because New Zealand had an exceptionally high ratio of members of Parliament per head of population there was a case for reducing

the number of members, increasing the efficiency of Parliament, and increasing members’ salaries. Mr Marshall did not think the country had too many members of Parliament. Instead of reducing the number, he said, it would be much better if the present number of members were paid an adequate salary.

Addressing the meeting earlier, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) urged Young Nationals to take a positive stand in their politics. It was good to see youth marching, he said. “If you see an ‘anti’ march, go out and be ‘anti-anti,’,’’ he said. “Go out positively and say I’m for this, or I’m for that.”