IMPORT CONTROL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 22992, 8 September 1944, Page 4

IMPORT CONTROL

No Abandonment Mr Nash Emphatic (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Sept. 7. The Minister of Finance (the Hon. W. Nash) was emphatic about the value of import control when he made his reply to the Budget Debate in the House to-night. He made it clear that there was to be no abandonment of tlfis policy. The Government, he declared, would continue the policy • of import control to the full as long as it was in the interests of the people. The Government’s view was that the carrying out of the import and exchange- control I policies would lead.to maximum trade. The Leader of the Opposition and other members of the’ Opposition had stated that they would abolish import control. If it was abolished it would result in the complete disintegration of the manufacturing side of the Dominion. It would prevent normal rehabilitation procedure if the country was to put its service personnel back into’ industry. Import control abanI donment meant want. It meant that what was most profitable would be brought in, not that which was most needed. There was not a ship that could’ be loaded with material. There was not a pound of any commodity that was required in this country that could be brought here that was not being brought to the Dominion. They would not use labour, material and credit that was available overseas, and would not betray the war activity by using a single cubic foot of shipping space to bring goods into the country that were not absolutely required, and they would keep the import policy operating to the full as long as they were on the Treasury benches and as long as it was in the interests of the people of the Dominion. Mr F W. Doidge (National, Tauranga): Is that the way you talked in Washington about the Atlantic Charter? , „ Mr Nash replied that at the Bretton Woods conference he had stated that New Zealand would not give up import control but the Government might consider keeping money available for other transactions that might be approved Not a single statement had been made by him, as representative of the Government, or by the Government that had suggested that at any time the Government would abandon import control and exchange control. There was not a penny that they could spend out of the country’s credits that would not be spent for goods that were necessary.