Notes of Discussion

On 18 December 1969 Messrs White and Jones of the above company discussed with the Associate Minister of Industries and Commerce (Hon. N.L. Shelton) a desire to take over Airco (N.Z.)  Ltd. Mr White said his company had been approached by Hon. Dean Eyre as Airco was in a bad way financially. W. White (Wholesale) Limited was prepared to take up a 50 percent shareholding if this met with the Minister’s approval. After some discussion the Minister informed the company representatives that he had no objection to the proposed takeover. He then went on to ask if W. White (Wholesale) Limited would have any objection to the possibility of motor cycles being made exempt from import licensing. Mr White said he was definitely not in favour of such a proposition as on a previous occasion when imports had been freed many itinerant importers had entered the motor cycle field and had badly upset the market. In Mr White’s view this was undesirable and could only be avoided by the continuation of import licensing on motor cycles.

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