URGE IMPORTATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27211, 14 October 1949, Page 8

URGE IMPORTATION

Tractors From America Mainly Crawler Type PA WELLINGTON, Oct. 13. The Government intended to provide for imports of agricultural tractors from America in 1950, with increased concentration on the larger crawler machines, said the Minister of Customs, Mr Nash, in a statement tonight, in which he outlined the position regarding imports of tractors, graders and agricultural machinery from dollar sources. “ The Government has for some time been giving special consideration to the provision which should be made for those type£ of equipment,” said Mr Nash, “and has had before it the results of a survey conducted by Federated Farmers of the needs of the farming industry, together with the reports of its own officers. The recent announcement that licences were being granted immediately for the importation of large numbers of hay balers and harvester threshers ana a limited number of side rakes and tedders represents the first step toward meeting these needs, and the bulk of this machinery is expected to arrive in New Zealand in time for the coming harvest. “In deciding what provision should be made for imports of any goods from dollar sources, there are three important factors to be considered,” said the Minister. “These are: First, the need for the goods; secondly, the extent to which requirements can be met from local production or from sterling or soft-currency sources; thirdly, the amount of dollar exchange which, having regard to other commitments, can be made

available. “It will be appreciated that the problems associated with the widened dollar gap and with the recent devaluation of sterling have not made the position any easier as yet and that even in the case of the most essential commodities great care must be taken to ensure that dollars are not spent unnecessarily. Fortunately, the difficulties have lessened in so far as tractors, farm machinery and graders are concerned by the phenomenal increase in the production of this equipment in the United Kingdom, but there are still some fields in which British production is not yet quite adequate to meet the special requirements of New Zealand farmers, and it is therefore necessary until that gap is closed to find dollars to provide for equipment in these fields.

“At present, however,” Mr Nash continued, “no definite plans can be made for the second half of 1950, as June 30, 1950, will be the end of the current year for the balance of payments between sterling and dollar areas. Developments during the rest of the' year ending on June 30 next will, therefore, to some extent dictate the action which can be taken to cover requirements in the period JulyDecember, 1950. It is accordingly proposed to provide for the importation of 440 medium and heavy agricultural crawler tractors from the United States in the first half of 1950. These, together with the spare parts needed to maintain the existing and new equipment, will probably cost about 2,300,000 dollars. In addition, there will be about 1,000,000 dollars made available for imports of industrial trac- ■ tors and spares, making a total of approximately 3,300,000 dollars for tractors and parts to be imported in the first half of 1950 from dollar areas.

Fortunately it will not be necessary to import many American graders, as this type of equipment is now much more readily available from other sources, and it is not expected that it will be necessary to spend more than about 160,000 dollars on these in the first half of J 1950. , . “It should be noted,” concluded Mr Nash, “ that this is for the first half only of 1950 and that the extent to which, additional licences can be issued for the second half of the year will be determined as soon as the whole position 1 of the sterling-dollar trade becomes clearer. The amounts I have stated are estimates only.”