U.S. Agriculture Secretary late

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 22

U.S. Agriculture Secretary late

(N Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON. April 13. The American Secretary of Agriculture (Mr Earl Butz) arrived in Wellington tonight after his flight from Honolulu had been delayed because of mechanical trouble.

I As a result of the delay | his plane did not reach iOhakea Air Force Base until ) 5.30 — about three hours later than originally scheduled — and he had to forgo a planned inspection of Massey University and a dairy farm at Linton.

After settling in to his central Wellington hotel Mr Butz, accompanied by Mrs Butz, attended a dinner at the home of the American Ambassador to New Zealand (Mr Armistead I Selden). The dinner was attended by the acting Prime Minister (Mr Taiboys) a former New Zealand Minister of Agriculture and now Minister of Overseas Trade. Another guest at the dinner was the Opposition spokesman on Agriculture (Mr Moyle) who as Minister of Agriculture in the last Labour Government negotiated with Mr Butz in an effort to win higher levels of beef imports by the United States. In a written statement today, Mr Moyle said that during several discussions he had with Mr Butz he found the United States Agriculture Secretary in favour of keeping world commodity I markets open.