Senator concerned over E.E.C. effect

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32797, 23 December 1971, Page 14

Senator concerned over E.E.C. effect

Concern about the effect the European Common Market might have on future world trade, and especially in relation to the United States, was expressed by Senator A. J. Ellender (Louisiana), chairman of the United States Senate's powerful Appropriations Committee in Christchurch yesterday.

Senator Ellender, who is 82, said he person* ally did not welcome the bloc. ■ “As I understand it, the SU are trying to build walls round heir own periphery and trade among themselves.” However, he thought | it would be good if these | nations, instead of turning ' inwards, worked together for real world trade. “All these countries were on the rocks a while back, and it was the generosity of the United States which helped them back on their feet,” Senator Ellender said. It was his opinion that the E.E.C. had helped to bring about the devaluation of the American dollar—and it 1 annoyed him to hear these !

countries blaming the United States for many of today’s economic problems. “Why, we would not owe all the money we do except for the fact that we used a lot of our resources to sustain a military umbrella over most of Western Europe, and elsewhere,” Senator Ellender said.

All he asked was that the E.E.C. countries acted fairly in trading matters. He also believed that the 10 per cent tariff surcharge should have remained until other countries liberalised their trade with the United States.

On New Zealand beef exports to the United States, Senator Ellender believed the Dominion bad been given a fair quota- "If we shared our beef market with New Zealand, then naturally other beef-producing countries would want to come in,” he said. “I’m not one to cut off trade, but I would like to see a free market for all.” The United States had in the past been most liberal in trade with other nations, but in the last few years had suffered greatly because of a trading imbalance. “It was the first time for 50 years when we couldn’t balance our books on trade,” Senator Ellender said..

Today, the United States owed $412 billion, and the debt was increasing by leaps and bounds.

As well as the E.E.C., Senator Ellender was somewhat critical of American foreign aid. “I have not voted for a foreign aid bill since 1951. I saw the storm gathering, and it appears that I was right," he said. “It now

seems that it was foolish for us to be as generous as we have been.”

The foreign aid programme bad been a failure, he said. It was never carried out as originally proposed under the Marshall Plan—which was that the United States was prepared to assist those countries which were prepared to help themselves. Of China’s recent admission to the United Nations, Senator Ellender said it was bis belief that there could never be world peace with the world’s most populous nation out of it. President Nixon’s overtures to China had been to get it into the family of nations again, and to seek ways of obtaining peace, he said. .

In the last three days. Senator Ellender has been visiting the Antarctic as a guest of the National Science Foundation part of his eighth trip round the world since 1946. "As for my impressions, well, I can’t produce an adjective to describe what I saw,” he said. “There is so much to be done. It is a marvellous laboratory from which a lot of knowledge can be obtained.” Asked if this meant he would be sympathetic to any future request by the National Science Foundation for increased grants, Senator Ellender replied: “Hell, no. They have sufficient money now. Let some of the other countries expand their work down there. There is enough room for everyone to work down there.”,

Senator Ellender left New Zealand for Australia last evening.