Ten-year textiles plan released by Minister

Press, 1 October 1979, Page 16

Ten-year textiles plan released by Minister

PA Wellington, A plan to develop the tex-1 tile industry in New Zealand; over the next 10 years was 1 released yesterday by the Minister of Trade and Industry (Mr Adams-Schnei-f der). Produced by the Industries Development Commission after a three-year inquiry, rhe plan outlines a oro- : gramme of Government 1 assistance and regulations aimed at increasing efficiency and competitiveness in the textile trade — par- 1 ticularly exports. But it is only a discussion' document and the Government has yer to decide whether it will implement! the recommendations. in- 1 eluding rationalising the woollen milling sector, spot- ’ soring the gathering of over-j seas market intelligence, and I establishing an inter-! departmental committ?e to monitor the progress of the 10-year plan. Mr Adams-Schneider said the Government was taking an “innovative step” in releasing the report before it had made any decisions on it. He said the Industries Development Commission had been asked in 1976 to report on the textile in-; dustry, its potential for development and aims over] the next 10 years. It was; also charged with recom-i mending strategies for [level-< opment in co-operation with; the industry. “The Government considers that it is in the interests | of the textile industry and I

, of the community generally I i that the commission's find-, lings should be made public ’now." the Minister said. “The textile report isj i clearly a far reaching docuIment w’hich goes to the heart of the industry's prob-i Terns and recommends bold, and imaginative solutions Its general thrust has been accepted by everyone par ticioating in the inquiry ” The Government however. 1 had made no judgments on; the commission’s findings, Mr Adams-Schneider said. "The Government’s main 1 'consideration must be the; lover-all impact on the econ-1 omy. But we shall certainly , be looking closely at w hat i impact our decisions might; have on individual sectors of the industry,” he said. 1 The report’s 29 recom-i imendations listed at the endi. |of the 145-page publication! .include: That all assistance and incentives available to industry generally be also available to the textile industry. That the Government establish a special fund of S 5 million to facilitate re- fa structuring and ration- c alisation of the woollen t milling sector and that t 1 finance be made avail- r able from the fund by f way of interest-free s bridging finance for up e to five-year periods. v ■That a woollen products s export promotion com-it. j mittee comprising repre-j sentatives of the wool-;!: j len mills, wool knitters.[l carpet manufacturers, IV

woollen apparel manufacturers, the Federation of Labour, the Wool Board and Government departments, be established. That the Education Department offer bursaries for students to study »t. overseas universities offering specialist degree courses in textile technology. That the present restraint on the times during which women max work in factories be removed. I'hat an interdepartmental com mi t ' ee. com p rising representatives of the Department of Trade and Industry, Treasury and the Customs Department be estahlishi-d to maintain a continuing over-view m the implementation of the plan. That the Government direct the commission to make further inquiry and report in 188! on progress made over the initial two veats <.f the development plan, and it necessary recommend any changes. The report was prepared by an eight-man committee, chaired by 'he chairman of the industries development commission (Mr A. E. Tarram). More than 40 manufacturers, merchants, wholesalers. retailers and interested overseas organisations were party to the commission’s hearings over the list three years. Copies of the report will be available from Industries Development Commission "in Wellington.