Trade Post Salaries

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31753, 9 August 1968, Page 8

Trade Post Salaries

The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce believes a New Zealand Trade Commissioner, recruited from commerce or industry, should be paid up to $lO,OOO a year, plus expenses according to the location of the post and the cost of living in the area. The chamber reached these decisions on Wednesday evening and will inform the Associated Chambers. The Minister of Overseas Trade (Mr Marshall) had sought, torpugh Associated Chambers, thinking on the salary level that should be offered to trade commissioners if they were appointed from outside the Public Service.

The trade promotion committee’s idea of the ideal

trade commissioners were read to the chamber's council by the committee’s acting chairman (Mr J. G. Rowe). They are drive and personality; a degree of maturity; a good standard of education with a knowledge of languages; sound commercial experience; training in Government procedure; integrity and loyalty; he should be a marketeer (there was some criticism of this term); he Should have overseas business experience.

“We think men of this calibre are available,” said M- Rowe. It was suggested that a basic salary for a trade commissioner should be $5OOO to $7OOO. This did not include an expense allowance commensurate with the type of afea, in which the appointee was to operate. In advertising the position of trade commissioner for a particular location, a mini-

mum salary should be specified and this should be at a figure comparable with an executive position outside the Public Service, said Mr Rowe. Mr E. C. Munt said that the eight points for a trade commissioner, as set out. demanded a very high standard. A salary of $5OOO to $7OOO for the qualifications was too low. “You would have to pay $14,000.”

The vice-president (Mr R. C. Wallace) said the Deputy Prime Minister had clearly set a challenge to Associated Chambers to find people who could fit the job. Mr B. J. Drake said he wondered whether any man could be named, with the listed qualifications who would be prepared, for $5OOO or $7OOO a year, to leave his present job for every chamber of commerce and manufacturers’ association to “have a go at him.”