Letters To Souvenir Firms Unanswered

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31904, 4 February 1969, Page 26

Letters To Souvenir Firms Unanswered

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, February 3. A Canadian who came to New Zealand hoping to import Maori souvenir and craft items to Canada has not had one reply from 50 firms with which he sought consultations.

Mr W. R. Carruthers, who owns a gift shop in Kelowna, British Columbia, and represents several associates in Canada, arrived in Auckland last night, “a bit surprised” at such a display of New Zealand’s export drive. “1 wrote to 50 New Zealand firms while I was staying in Christchurch,” said Mr Carruthers. “The letters were posted on January 15. “I said I was interested in buying New Zealand things. So far I have not had one reply.” Mr Carruthers said that he was given the names of the firms by the Department of Industries and Commerce.

“I did expect some replies to be waiting for me when I

arrived at my hotel tonight," he said. “I can only assume that a letter does not mean much and gets put in the wastepaper basket. “It makes me think New Zealanders are not very interested in exporting. It seems a bit extraordinary. They are defeating the Government's aims of improving the foreign exchange position.” Mr Carruthers said that he would be telephoning some of the firms today. Since he arrived in New Zealand, Mr Carruthers has spent $lOOO on such items as sheepskins and Maori carving. Mr Carruthers thinks that there could be an especially good market for slink skins—the skin of an unborn fawn, which is often recovered when the mother is shot—and opossum skins. “The New Zealand pauashell jewellery is also a very much better colour than that, made from a similar shell from America. I have ordered some of this, too.” He said that his biggest difficulty had been finding Maori carving which was in any way genuine.