Senators to meet P.M.

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34045, 8 January 1976, Page 2

Senators to meet P.M.

(From Our Own Reporter)

WELLINGTON, January 7.

Four United States Senators and 11 Congressmen, in two separate parties, who will visit New Zealand next week, will meet the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Mr Taiboys).

Official sources said today that the discussions would take place on January 14. It was likely that the Minister of Defence (Mr McCready) would also be present at some of the talks. Mr Muldoon will be host at a luncheon before the meeting. The Senators, representing various Senate committees, will be on a familiarisation and fact-finding trip to New Zealand and other countries in the Pacific area. They are Senator Ernest F. Rollings (Democrat), South Carolina; Senator Robert P. Griffin (Republican), Michigan; Senator Howard H. Baker, jun. (Republican), Tennesse; Senator John C. Culver (Democrat), lowa. Senators Rollings and Griffin are the joint leaders. The group will be accompanied by staff members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This group is due at Christchurch Airport on January 11, and on January 12 will visit the United States Navy support force headquarters, where the Senators will receive briefings from the United States National Science Foundation and Navy support force representatives.

/ On January 13, the group 1 will visit Mount Cook and t Queenstown. r Most of the 11 Congress- ) men are members of the t Armed Services Committee of the House of Representatives, t They will examine United s States national security commitments in the 'Pacific ’ region. They, too, will visit the 1 United States Navy support f force headquarters in Christs church on January! 4, and will s spend January 15 sightsees ing at Mount Cook. ; This party comprises - Messrs W. J. Randall (Demor crat), Missouri; W. L. Dickin- - son (Republican), Alabama; r E. H. Hillis (Republican), In- , diana; D. Milford (Democrat), Texas; W. Nichols j (Democrat), Alabama; J. H. Scheuer (Democrat-Liberal), 2 New York; J. Skubitz (Ref publican), Kansas; F. D. . Spence (Republican), South Carolina; L. van Deerlin (Democrat). California: R. Wilson ' (Republican), California; A. ' B. von Pat (Democrat), Guam: and the assistant Secretary r of Defence for Legislative ’ Affairs (Mr J. M. Maury).