PROGRESS OF TALKS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22587, 16 March 1948, Page 3

PROGRESS OF TALKS

WORLD_TRADE WORK OF COMMITTEES OFFICIAL PRESS REPORTS Progress reports on the work of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Employment now meeting at Havana, Cuba, are contained in a series of official Press releases received by the Government. They record the decisions of various committees, whose decisions are subject to approval by a plenary meeting of the confrence. A release dated March 1 stated that the Committee on Organisation had agreed that the charter of the proposed International Trade Organisation should come into force on the sixtieth dav following the date on which a majority of the signers of the final act of the conference had deposited instruments of acceptance of the charter. There was a proviso that if during the period of one year from the date of the signature of the final act of the charter had not entered into force, it was to become effective on the sixtieth day following the day on which the number of Governments which had deposited their acceptance reached 20. Further Stipulation

It was further stipulated that if the charter had not entered into force by September 30, 1949, the Secretary-Gene-ral of United Nations was to institute consultation among the countries which signified acceptance to determine whether and on what conditions they desired to bring it into force. The committee accepted a United Kingdom amendment to the effect that any member not wishing to accept an amendment involving an alteration in the obligation of members could withdraw from the organisation upon the expiration of CO days from the day on which written notice was received by the director-general. A release for the week ended February 21 stated that the main progress of that week had been achieved by the Third Committee in approving several articles which wore fundamental to the International Trade Organisation policy of reducing barriers to trade and eliminating preferential discrimination.

Article 16, which had been approved in part, recognised the principle of general most-favoured nation treatment. This principle, it was stated, provided the pivot on which much of the charter was balanced and was the starting point for developing multilateral trade relations. Its effect was that whatever benefit a member country extended to trade with any other member in regard to tariff rates, customs treatment, and related matters, must immediately bet extended to its trade with all member countries. No Exclusive Concessions

They reciprocally pledged not to make exclusive concessions that benefited one member country only at the expense of another. The committee also approved Article 17, which stated that one of the major objectives of the International Trade Organisation members was the reduction of tariffs and elimination of preferences. Approval was given to Article 18, under which the products of any member country imported into any other member country will not be subject to higher taxes or other less favourable treatment than domestic products of the same sort. The Second Committee was stated to have made good progress by approving final texts of Articles 9 and 10, which deal with the development of domestic resources and productivity and co-operation for economic development respectively. Tire chief remaining issues are stated to include the use of quantitative restrictions and International Trade Organisation prior approval, new preferential arrangements and other developments involving trading areas, the use of quantitative restrictions in relation to balance of payments problems, relations with non-members, relations with the International Court of Justice and the co-ordination of the general agreement on tariffs and trade with the charter.