PRESENT AGREEMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 65, 18 March 1943, Page 3

PRESENT AGREEMENT

''EXTENSION INEVITABLE^

"I have always regarded such a step,'as.'inevitable,'' declared Mr. IT. M. Cht*istie. cli&irman of tbe : New Zealand Wool Council, today,. \bh6ri. asked.for his cominerit. ok tlie • reported request by Australiatol?Great Britain for an extension of the wool purchasing agreement for? a 'few! years after, the war. |Jhder the present agree- ; ; ment New Zealand, after prdviding lor, ,ite* own requirements/ ; sells Its surplus wool production to Britain, and that procedure holds, good only asi far as the end of the \var.an.d^th^next clip.there-, afteri.. . . .. ,:..,-.. Mr. Christie said 'that New-Zealand lted^made *n*o" similar request ior any extension, ofl the currency of. the agreement, but it was generally * regarded that some extension would be necessary.. The request from Aus-r tri-dia came as no surprise to him. He pointed but that after.the war?there would be many difficulties encountered- in'making supplies of wool'available to countries that had been devastated by the war, such as France, and sortie-form of bulk purchasing would have to be "continued for some period alter the war. "One aspect/ of it that vitally concerns. New Zealand;" said Mr: Christie, "is the question of distribution. If an extended agreement were made .with GreSt^Britaiff, * I feel that an 'Empire committee dr Council of some ; kind would have, to be, set up, with possibly United' States representation as well, to supervise the position. If the United States were asked to bear a share of thie, cost of bulk' purchasing for, distribution, such representation would be necessary; to protect the in-? terests of the Dominions or producing countries y concerned." CAREFUL PLANNING NEEDED; '■ . Other questions that' had to be considered were how the wool was to be distributed, and the long term effect it would have*on the industry, he tinued. The "agreement would hav.e^to be so •drawn that When it was terriiinated the producing countries ■ would not be at' any disadvantage. The whole position would have to be -very carefully investigated and planned. "We must bear in mind that the purchasing "countries devastated by the war must be rehabilitated," said Mr. Christie.' ""THey must be: in a pbsition to buy the'raw materials, and the financing of this under some scheme must be done mainly by Great Britain and -the United States. - Consequently, as the financing countries they could not be expected to enter into open competition in the ordinary auction! system of selling, though it might be possible to release a given quantity* of wool production '■- for open selling by the producing countries. '■' •'.■-"!■ Touching on the effect of the extension of the selling agreement on the producers, Mr Christie said that Such a long-term purchase, plan would result in stabilisation during, the very, difficult period of post-war: reconstruction There would, of course, have to be safeguards to ensure that New ; Zeai land, for instance, was in a fair, position compared, with dther producing countries if and when such method of bulk purchasing'was terminated. ' TIME FOR CLARIFICATION. "I have always considered ,an* extension of the present purchasing plain as inevitable;, and I, have stated so in addresses, to. delegates of * the.>-Farmers' Federation and the electoral committee of the .Wool Council," added Mr. Christie, "and I-think it would ease the minds, of our producers if-condir tions were clarMed at this stage." ...