LIMIT TO IMPORTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22584, 12 March 1948, Page 4

LIMIT TO IMPORTS

REPLIES BRITAIN’S REQUEST "ALL WE CAN AFFORD" (P.A.) WELLINGTON. March 12. The acting-Minister of Customs, Mr. A. H. Norymeyer, replied to certain criticism of import control emanating from prominent figures in the Chambers of Commerce and New Zealand Farmers' Federation. “The Government derives no pleasure from refusing licenses for essential goods. This action is unavoidable, however, if New Zealand is te shoulder her responsibilties in the present difficult period through which the United Kingdom is passing. The Government with its full knowledge and appreciation of the situation is the only body capable of deciding the extent to which licenses can be granted. Mr. Attlee’s Message

“In August last Mr. Attlee's request to New Zealand was published as fol- < lows: —'Check on Imports: It would ' greatly help us if for the current year you could keep your imports at least within the limits of current income. During the immediate critical situation it is most important for us that you should avoid any necessity for drawing down your sterling balances, and we shall hope that if there should be any possibility of your building up your assets, you would be prepared to hold further sterling.' •'This has a very different meaning from Mr. Anderson's statement that 'the United Kingdom has expressed itself as anxious that we should take payment in goods to the full extent of our current export earnings.’ ” By far the largest single item on the expenditure side was licensed imports, which as mentioned in the Minister's, recent press announcement, was estimated to account for £95,000,000. In addition, provision had to be made for imports by the Government —both imports for its own requirements (including equipment for public works, etc.) and imports such as wheat and tea for direct public consumption. Other Commitments “Provision must also be made for interest on our overseas debt payments, for Government reqpir inio other than imports, and lor a range of business and private remittances other than payments for licensed imports. “When the income and expenditure sides of this overseas budget are added up they approximately balance each other, which is what they must do if we are to honour our agreement to help the United Kingdom by living within our overseas income and not. drawing on our accumulated sterling balances. “It is not - correct to assume (as Mr. • Anderson appears to suggest) that provision for licensed imports has been kept down to £95,000,000 to make room for the repayment of a loan of approximately £NZ24,000,000 out of our current overseas income. No matter what the decsiion on the loan may be the requirement to limit imports to our current income means that £95,000,000 is on present evidence the limit to which licenses can be issued this year. “As for the statement of Mr. R. G. Buckleton, who purports to speak for the action committee of the Federated Farmers, my only comment is that farmers, like other sections of the community, share fully directly and indirectly in all imports. It is patently absurd to suggest that the farmers only share of imports is in tractors, agricultural implements and fertilisers. The farmers do not live by tractors alone.”