Plea for N.Z. export market

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32430, 17 October 1970, Page 21

Plea for N.Z. export market

(N.Z. Press Association) PALMERSTON N„ October 16. The fact that New Zealand was still the world’s most - efficient primary - product producer was stressed by the Member of Parliament for Palmerston North (Mr J. A. Walding), at the recentlyended Inter-Parliamen-tary Conference, at The Hague.

Mr Walding told conference delegates: “Regional cooperation is a good thing, but the exploitation of the resources of a region with indifference or injustice to others outside that region is wrong, and unworthy of Parliamentary democracy. “To foster the short-term interests of sections of that region for blatant political purposes, to the detriment of the long-term interests of that same region, and the

rest of the world, is also unworthy of Parliamentary democracy.” Mr Walding said that the decisions now being taken in the name of regional co-oper-ation were serious and vital to other counties. “For example, if New Zealand is to be denied, as has been suggested in some quarters, continued access to her traditional market for dairy products, then the result for New Zealand will be economically disastrous.” he said. Because New Zealand could produce dairy produce at about half the cost of North American or European dairy producers, it would be “against all economic logic” for this industry to be strangled by new regional policies. “In asking for continued access to our market for dairy products New Zealand is not asking for charity or aid. All New Zealand asks is for continued access to our traditional market for the dairy produce that we can produce at about half the cost of other nations,” he said. Mr Walding reported that

many delegates were impressed by the urgency of New Zealand’s case.

One typical comment, he said, was from Mr A. Morris, an English delegate, who said that he was persuaded by the "compelling” case put forward by the New Zealand delegates. Mr Morris gave an assurance that there were many people in Britain who would not allow New Zealand’s case to go “by default.”