Trade Men Busy In Australia

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31761, 19 August 1968, Page 18

Trade Men Busy In Australia

New Zealand trade commissioners’ offices in Australia were so busy that it had become imperative for exporters to make appointments with them before leaving New Zealand, said the Minister of Broadcasting and Assistant Minister of Customs (Mr AdamsSchneider) on Saturday evening.

Mr Adams-Schneider was opening the New Zealand Industries Fair.

We had reached the stage when it was imperative that manufacturers should not regard their function as cne of producing only for the domestic market, he said.

The two new agencies—the Industrial Design Council and the Inventions Development Authority—would be of great assistance in the diversification of our overseas markets.

We mus* invent new processes and create new products, that would make their individual mark on the highly competitive overseas markets.

The chairman of the fair executive (Mr H. W. Revell) said that the primary industries had done a magnificent job for New Zealand but two gaps existed. One was the balance of payments gap and the other the unemployment gap. “We believe that New Zealand manufacturers can narrow these gaps if they move ccurageously from the small and somewhat depressed New Zealand market into the limitless world markets,” said Mr Revell.

“For this endeavour the stage is set by devaluation and, across the Tasman, by the New Zealand-Australian Free Trade Agreement “To move with vigour, how-

ever, we need freedom of access to raw materials and manufacturing equipment.”

Mr Revell said that some industries might always need protection in the national interests. But for the rest they asked only a tariff system that was as effective for New Zealand as the Australian system was for Australia.

With the implementation of such a policy, and the creation of a more favourable economic climate with taxation rates and export incentives similar to those in other countries, for example in Australia, New Zealand manufacturers would acquit themselves with benefit to the country. The president of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association (Mr A. S Farrar) said it was significant that processed food exports had increased by 240 per cent in the year to June. Many other manufactured exports more than doubled. Textile and garment exports increased in one year from 51,200,000 to 54,200,000. Machinery, transport equipment and metals, which earned 86,400,000 in the previous year, reached Slim. Other significant increases had included furniture, leather and travel goods, rubber products, electrical equipment and footwear exports.