Mr Shelton ‘Heartened’

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31986, 13 May 1969, Page 1

Mr Shelton ‘Heartened’

(N.Z.P.A. Staff Correspondent)

LONDON, May 11

The Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton) left London for Canada today confident that trade relations between Britain and New Zealand are “in good shape.”

“What heartened me most was the evident determination of Britain to compete more forcefully in selling its goods to the New Zealand market,” he said. “I impressed upon Ministers and businessmen the trade advantages that Britain has in New Zealand and our desire to buy British when we can. “I told them that the progressive liberalisation of our licensing system opened new opportunities and that New Zealand provided a growing market for the more sophisticated plant and machinery which Britain was well equipped to supply.

“I promised our help to the trade missions and other efforts which Britain was making to expand its exports to us in the face of worldwide competition.” During his four-day visit

Mr Shelton talked to British Ministers and businessmen trading with New Zealand. “The British are naturally concerned about the continued fall in their share of our market,” he said, “although I pointed out that their total exports continue to increase in value terms. As a British Minister concerned principally with exports, Lord BrOwn of the Board of Trade vigorously presented the United Kingdom case and he pointed to the difficulties to which the butter quota system gave rise in Britain’s trade with other countries.

“For my part, I mentioned the preferential rates of duty —often very far above our contractual obligations which we give at present to British imports. All the British Ministers I talked to expressed appreciation of the co-operation and help given by New Zealand to Britain over the quota arrangements for this year and the cheese voluntary restraint scheme. “My final impression here

is that these arrangements for dairy products are accepted by Britain as a fair quid pro quo for what Britain gets from us in trading preferences.

“I also took the opportunity to remind United Kingdom Ministers of our vital dependence on this market for our exports of butter, cheese and lamb. I was happy to find that they were fully conscious of what the British market means to New Zealand and how important it is that access for these products in fair condition of trade should not be jeopardised.”

Travel Office.—Trans Holdings, Ltd, a New Zealandowned travel firm, will open its sixth overseas office in Suva on June 1. A subsidiary company to be. known as Trans Tours (Fiji), Ltd, it will have a branch office at Nandi to assist air passengers and will have a fleet of air-conditioned cars for touring.