Aust. Trade Limited

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31881, 8 January 1969, Page 20

Aust. Trade Limited

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, Jan. 3. The president of the Australian Senate (Sir Alister McMullin), who arrived in Auckland today in the Orsova, said he believed there was not much future in general trade between New Zealand and Australia.

He said imports from New Zealand would be limited to such commodities as timber

and paper pulp—products which Australia needed.

This would not prevent an increasingly closer relationship between the countries. New Zealand bought a lot from Australia, but Australia did not buy to the same extent from New Zealand. The same situation existed with trade between Australia and the United States and between New Zealand and the United States. It was a question of “whether the trade was there and if the price was right.” Sir Alister McMullin, who is a grazier in New South Wales, said the New Zealand dairying industry was well ' known to be of high standard

and Australia had a lot to learn from it. Australia was in the fortunate position of having abundant mineral wealth and New Zealand would benefit from this industrialism.

“With the development of world markets, and less reliance now on Britain for trade, New Zealand is doing all right,” he said. “There is no validity in the idea of political affiliation between the countries, and I think it would be a great pity for New Zealand to lose her nationalism.”

He said there was no question of New Zealand looking on Australia as a “big brother” in times of need. Both countries had their own defence, which was limited to the capacity of the country. A developing country such as New Zealand could not expect to have a large defence budget.

Sir Alister McMullin is on a Pacific cruise.