FOREIGN CONTROL °) BOM 2258, CHRISTOHURCH. REGISTERED AT WELUNGTON PQ AS A MAGAZINE Campaign Against Foreign Control in New Zealand ISSN 0111 0896 No. 416 Nay, 1983. oC Page Bditorial Keview 2 More on Nickel Smelters 3 Groat Barricr Island Prospecting 4 Cowl Slurry Schone for West Coast 5 coal export, The Destruction of N.2. Industry a; the rubber industry 7 dj computers for schools 8 ce} the effects of CuK 16 Overseas drug companies in ¥.Z. i 6 Comaleo 12 Consumers Institute pinpoin soandals; vollow-up 13 sells oul to miltinwbional 13 tanks big to Kaoris 14 ANNUAL GSNUKAL MuBt In from 1 vis year's AG to be held on Saturday, 1&th June its 1-3 p.m, annual reports 3-5 p.ti, ¥est Const slide show, and “Hone on the Kango" video. gley House, Hagley High School, 510 Hagley ave md election of office: This is 2 53 minute Australian film on US military bases and CIA activities in australia. Chosen as best australian documentary of 1982. Produced on behalf of the association for Uo-operation and Disarmament by Oil Serine, bb WSLCOME TO BOTH THS AGI ukD FILM SHOVING,3bLnOl 1* COMITGG .CVIVTELias. Yes, UaFUINZ does oxist beyond editing and meiling out watehdo.. committees (up for re-clection at the aG@{ ) moets fortnightly cowordinates other acbivitics, New people ( Christchurch recder take note ) are always welcow: to participate. If interested ring Bill Koscaberg Ph 99 055, nt activities include: ~ co-ordinuting with Owen Wilkes ~ republishing 2nd distributing the new cdition of Cenalco Comic vertising and avsombling the WOK avaY and ws3T COaST MIPIVG SLIDE SEO: furthor investigition of Devp Prevae. nonitoriag progress at Black Sirch ~ meotias the Marlborough Peace Group, ~ inviting ourselves to the Kio Tinto Zinc Gi, - keeping track of nickel suolter developments, — - ~ operating & tookstall at the Ohch Peace Festival. ~ talk to Burnside High School sixth formers. 2* WHBT COast, The West Coast spokesperson for CalCINZ, Petor Neame, was recently in the papers and on the radio, criticising Federated Futures, and supporting br Shearer's warnings to dest Coasters thet they are living in an environment of limited resources, Peter said that " Futures wanted to sell out lock, stock, and parrel to foreign investors." 3* CONTRIBUTIONS, 4 note too, that articles for Watchdog are always welcome; aleo critical comments on ite content, Lotters for publication ure welcome too, any clippings of local news items relevant to CaFCINZ would also be appreciated. 4* SUBSCRIPT ICES headers nay have noticed 211 the dire warnings about being cut off the subscription list. Those who were given final ings and paid one year are peid to July 1963; those who paid two years are paid to July 1964, Donations always appreciated to help us with our slide show, and comic printing debts. Editor, May issue. (Thanks also,to typist, printers, and ecollators!est Coast fir sig (40 slides, sepipt only) ® The West Coast experience of the practices (as dispinct from the promises) af the ‘oreign-owned mining companies currently invading New Zealand, including our farmlanc and our National Parks. The slideshow was put together by Pete Lusk with help from Re Zanmit-Ross. Petes research on Comalco formed the basis for his script, ‘or CAFCINZ's "Comaleo Comic, and his seript for the slideshow is equally clear and hardhitting. This slideshow will be contit Donations welcom: ually updated and extended. VORK ‘WAY (35 min) (80 slides, tape and script) Put together by the Melbourne-based Asian Worker Links, "Work Away" looks at the broader political implications of transnational corporation manipulation of host country's resources and economies. Using Australian and Asian examples, and tracing’ the development of individual companies, it illustrates multinational access to the cheapest labour and resources while paying the lowest tax rates, and their redeployment to new labour sources happening to coincide with workers’ demands for a living wage, or government regulations for pollution control. One Melbourne firm has threatened its workers with a shift to cheaper, more docile New Zealand! BOTH SLIDE SHOWS CAN BE HIRED FOR $5 PLUS ‘FRETGHY PRICE INCLUDES TAPE OR SCRIPT. THE WEST COAST SLIDE SHOW CAN RE PURCHASED IN ITS ENTIRETY FOR $30 A COPY. WRITE TO- the Campaign Against Foreign Control in New Zealand. P.0.Box 2758, christchurch.OW NICE Smit chs LD PLODUCIION DOWN: Hining Annual Review, 19€2, reported that most producers of jckel had ended 1961 with a loss, World consumption fell again, to 410,000 tonnes (1979, 636,000 tonnes), INGO laid off 2,200 white collar workers at its Sudbury (Canadian) jant, and closed its Welsh and Guatemalan plants, Showa Denko, (20% share in Comalco) has withdrawn from the ferromnickel business. “lo Tinto Zimbabwe (a subsidiary of the Rio Tinto Zinc Corporation (3h owner of CHA, in turn a 70% owner of Comalco), have closed their umpress nickel mine, causing 1180 redundancies. Australian Fetals Exploration lost $A 202,000 in the second half of 1962, They closed their Nepan nickel sulphide mine, and mede a lose of $24 million on their Greenvale mine in the second quarter of 1922. The New Caledonian SLY Doniambo smelter complex is operating at 24% of capacity. Fredictione are that world prices will decline for the next three years. 1986 world capacity is estimated at 785,000 tonnes, but consumption only at 440,000 tonnes. ** MORS INFORMATION ON YHU CHARACTERISTICS OF A N.Z, NICKSL shaDryR: Landscape- The suelter site would comprise of several hectares of building, Housing the usin plant and staff facilities; extensive stockpiles of ore, coal, and other raw materials plus fuel oil tanks. There would be electricity supply lines and pylons, tall chimneys to discharge cmoke and fumes, and substantial roading for vehicle traffic both on and approaching the site, The ycarly slag output would cover about 12 heeteres to a depth of one metre, Froduction= The laterite (oxide) ore from New Caledonia would contain 3 nickel anc release minimal amounts of sulphur. But the 60,000 tonne per annus sonsumption of coal and fucl o11 would produce a largo amount of sulphur dioxide, Unlesscompletely filtered (unlikely), this will contribute to pollution ~ particularly in Christchurch, Coal ash is nother waste product, The ors will be pre-heated (using coal) and then smelted in an el- ectric furnace, using Tf units of electricity per kilogram produced ( 2 million units per annum).; a tenth the proposed Aromoana smelter consumption, Nickel ingots would be sent overseas in a crude form ov refining (limited NZ content) The workplace would be hot, noisy, ané dusty inside,Snvironnental proble The ore stockpiles would create dust and acidic leachate problems, Slag fill run off would also be polluting, Nickel dust ie a known carcinogen, By-products of nickel smelting, chrome and cobalt, are very poisonous, Acsthetic disfiguration of the landscape, fill disposal and sulphur dioxide emissions are all major drawbacks, Sources~ Derek Shaw, Canterbury gnvironment Journal April, 1983, Mining Monitor 3 Grok) BARRIER ISLAND PHOS! CLRING CaFCINZ has received a copy of the March "Barrier Bulletin", out- lining 2 recent mining exploration application by one Hometeke N. 2. Sxploration lta, on Great Barrier: Ieland. The Great Barrier County Gouncil District Scheme expresses total opposition to mining. The Ninister for the Environment has also expressed opposition to mining on © blanche for prospecting almost anywhere, In this Hometake upplication for exploration over 95 square kilometres of the northern part of the at Barrier, The Ministry of Energy, however, provides a carte island, the Ministry has attached the following conditions. These include the non-disturbance of the Hoch etter frog, the GBI endemic lizard and the brown teal, and that "the environment be 28 unaltered as possible," dust in cuse these conditions are not met, the company has to pay s bond of $2,000! The exploration licence application should be rejected outright. Of note in all cases of objection to exploration licence, three copies have to be sont out; one to the registrar of the Flanning fribunal, one to the Deputy Secretary of anergy, Nincs Division, hinistry of Bnergy, and one to the applicant. THahgS COROMsN DEL PKOSES The Themes Coromandel Listrict Council nus asked the Minister of vay to decline mining privelege applications on the Peninsula, TeDC, along with the Thames Valley United Council, support « regional study of the impact of mining proposals on the Feninsula, To enable 2 study to be carried out, the TLC wants 2 year long moratorium on the issue of new mining priveleges. if Mr Birch faile to suspend the issue of new licences, the local (Xetional) M,P, Graham Loe, has offered to introduce a private members horatorium Bill into parliaient, (Mining Monitor No. 30)5. COAL SLUKKY 8 a4 GC COAL uXroRT, is FOR The Ministry of unergy is operating a ‘coal slurry pilot plant 1t Ngukawau, north of Nestport. its purpose is to test the tuchnical feasibility of exporting West Coast coal via an offshore aonobucy system. This is the option currently favoured by the eovernment, ahead of the enlargement of the destport or Greymouth rbours, Or continued shipment through Lyttelton. Gurrent exports of Stockton coal to Japan via rail to Christ~ church are a vital fector in kocping the Otira railway line ‘open. loth the Lyttelton Harbour Board and the .%. uailways are lobby- sg for the export of the Greymouth coal (under investigetion by a joint 8Z- Japanese group), via the present route. a slurry, wohobuoy system could handle both Stockton and Greymouth coal, E ot Elant: ficDonnell Dowell, with two Japanese engineer “advisers”, are opersting the pilot’ plant for the Nines Division of the Ministry of unergy. The Westland Catchwent Board hav recently received two. comp- lsints about the Neakawau pilot slurry plant, The pilot plant operates under 4 water right for the whole Ngakawau coal handling complex, limiting the volume and coal content of the water that ney be discharged into the Ngakawau river. A recent pump bre down and ponding area bank breakage alowed some coal laden water 50 escape into the river. opment: Whe south side of Ngskewau has been coned by the Buller County Council for industrial development; future residential growth to be in Hector, It is anticipated that the site of the presen domain and hotel will be utilised if a monobuoy systen is Goel stockpiles will be larger which will mean increased dust problems for the local residents. Uther difficulties ure possible pollution of the Ngckawau River, and coastal mussel beds by coal Pines washed from the handling yards or chips loading offshore, Storege for as much as one million cubic metres of water may be necessary; equivalent to a pond 200 by 20C metres by 5 metres decp, Loped he Slurry kipelin Coal would be mixed 50: 50 with water and pumped through an undersea pipeline to 2 tanker moored to a monobuoy 3 km offshore, alternative to railage and conveyore requires a very low our input, 48 the coal has a “shel? lifé" of only three months, % loast four shiploads « year would be required, With tankers up to 100,000 tonnes, © rapid turn around woula be reguired to reduce costs. Sransport Options: The Buller Trades Council, erec, County Council, and Westport Borough Coun all opposed to the slurry system, they woule prefer the development of westport Earbour to facilitate export of woodchips, coment and other West Coast resources,FUINS is opposed to the « direct to dapan i is varelt annual negotiations, the dapanese threatened to was Tr a}, and the i marginal th coal should be utilised or rbon anodes, activated carbon, © resource is» wstible, Continued mining for New wiilisetion would moiatein em nt on the Goast, rther employment in proc: stream industries. { his article was based on informetion in destport News article of 15/3/63 by Pete Lusk ) fost script: Keoeat newspaper reports indicate the shipping options for the Buller cosl (Ngakawan, westport, Ereymou ttelton ), are being pursued strongly by rival intcreste. Lf the Ngakawau research indi the mooring buoy is a viable option, the government will prabbly choose that ahead of the west Coast ports ( 2 million tonnes per annum required for viability or Lyttelton (freight costs make this marginally viable ) ~ (Cheh Eress Business leader April '83) the Christchurch Press (24/4/63) carried orticles on the ava island option, price negotiations, and the scraps: wagons #t Westport. The Buller Joint Levolo Commi te: contracted the Anglo-French firm, Howerd ~ doris, to design submersible concrete island harbour to be sited in Buller Buy, between Cape Foulwind ana Westpor$. The 60 million harbour would accomodate s up to 100,000 tonnes und be uscd for cement, timber nickel (if they get a smelter), as well as coal, The parbour would $40 miliion cheaper than up-erading Westport end would intensify vail transportation in th Meonwhile, the railways have decided to scrap their remaining 120 4 wagons at Westport, as the Australian and Fiji markets for Denniston coal have buen lost, he mininwm umount of coal that the inus Department has customers for is 6,000 tounes, which is beyond the presen’ acity of Westport Harbour. 2st Coast coal prices in Yokyo, between Division, and Japanese agents Kan- sho bta have boen atelled, The buyers, Mitsui lining Company and Mitsubishi Chesical Industries, «re waiting for sustrel- jan prices. to be announced vefore demanding a 21% price cut. “his _ Would bring the 1962 price of $ U.S, 67.50 f.0,b. down by d U.s, 12 a tonne, to the lowest ever price tor Buller export coking coal, N.Z.'8 negotiating position is weak, ae Canadien, U.o, and australia suppliers have 211 cut prices, Ihe Mines bivision hopes.to sell 240,000 tonnes of both steaming and coking coal to the Japanese in 1985-84 (last year 150,000 tonnes), Sales to South Korea are expect= ed te decline fron 11,000 to 6,000" tonnesTe. tne export of coal at lower prices, when current ones are marginally profitable (or unprofitable), is an inefficient and stop-gap method of sustaining West Coast and rail- w2y8 omployment, roduction of metallurgical coke, carbon ano: snd swokeless fucls for .Z. consumption needs far greater resea CAaFCINZ believes that In additi: the higher coking coal should be retained for future Nev Zealand usc, rather than be given away to overscas multinational buyers. * * * * * THE DSSTRUCTION OF N.z. INDUS! "HR 1, VAG RLBBSK INDUSTRY w Ze2land controlled. tyre manufacturer, Keidrubber, kon over by Dunlop N,z. Ltd, its auckland manufactur lant to be closed down and dishembered, resulting in 440 ore people out of work, The takeover was foreshadowed by an Industry Destruction Comm ission (IDC) report on the tyre industry which recommended the closure of one of the three tyre factorics in New Zealand, or the scaling down of production at each factory. The second option was apparcatly rejected by the tyre incustry's omere. ay Four principal reasons were given for the scaling down of tyre production: * a shrinking NW. market due to improved tyre design; * the down-turn in the new car industry due to the depression. * new technology in the tyre industry allowing fewer workers to produce more tyres (the Wellington aubber Workers Union quotes & factory in Britain emplying 290 workers to produce 40,000 ial tyres a week; in Lower Hutt, 500 workers produce’ 16,600 tyres a week); competition from imported tyres ~ worsen with C.5,R. the fear that this will The first of these causes is elreidy underway, is desirable for is probably unavoidable. ‘The last threc, however, are all in incrcasing degrees avoidable, In partioular, 3 depression is the worst possible time to bring in destroying technology; snd comp f is entirely etition from import avoidable by using import controls. It is pointless having cheap inported tyres if Kew senlanders don't have the jobs ( and thug the money) to buy them! he takeover wos largely government financed. $1.5 nillion was ven to bunlop to buy out xeidrubber from its owner, Feltex, in form of an interest free loan to be written off in five yeare time. The rest came from the evelopment Finance Corporation. ©, government support might be understandable if it prevented try and the lows of further jobs. cither is true! hers have been told that another 120 jobe are going to be lost over the next three to five yoars in Lunlop's tyrc factory there. And if the tyre market is indeed shrinking, then workors in tyre rotail and retreuding enterprises must also lose jobs, Dunlop will also » onding $7.5 million to introduce job-Losing now technology at its Lower Hutt plant. already Lower Hutt rubber ¥qainst further destruction of the dur increasing threat from iwport. Where else. Cuk was given by ~ fron australia under Gsk' if frox cltex us one of the reasons for ths closure. In fuct it smells of pabting cut to mind the shcep; Uunlop has associated companice waning ty orics in Australia and elsewhere. In the long run, y find it mor. profitable to eimply close down smaller Nea. plant and supply ill its tyres from Australis or further afield. ll.. tyre manufacturing would then be in the hands of 4 single multinatione2 cvacd company; Firestene )8Z) Ltd, 5 sizths owned by Firestone Tire an Rubber of the U.s.d. Whis opportunity should have been taken to put liew 4ea aland coairol, instead of doing opposite; handing complete control of the industry to two multi aationals, ven this action would be insufficient if the threat from imports is not removed. the deal iz a clear exanple of how C&R will undermine New Zealand industry. The winners from this deal are Dunlop, Firestone, (which gains purt of Reidrubbers market) and Feltex (which gets sale of iling subsidiary tor $8 w&llion plus). The losers sre several hundred workers, the lew Zealand balance of payments, and New Zealand i eral, ootnote: Dunlop NZ Ltd is 52% owned by bunlop-firclli holding conpanice Pirestone Tire and lubber Go is owned by Firestone NZ Lta, which is 83.3 % owned by Firestone Tire and kubber Co, Usi. Reidrubber, although owned by Fe agrecment with BF Goodrich of U. had a minority shareholding 4 ation on the Peltex board, ltox, had 2 technology Goodrich at one stage elarubber and represent » COKFUMERS POR. SCHOOLS. Une of the reasons giv: n by the government and the IDG for the dcotruction of Vew Zealand industries is their replscewent with more productive, high technology production. Since most of this "high technology" has to be purchascd overseas, it constitutes 2 heavy den on foreig erves and the balance of paysents, The st that could be done would be encourage a Now dceland’ industry of this technology. Yet the short history of computers in New vlan schools (leaving aside the desirability of such develop suggests thst in one are computirs ~ the goverament is doing just opposite, ond a potential invustry is being destroyed two years iter birth. the development of the "Poly! computer for schools began in 1960 wun two Wellington Folytechnic lecturers got the Development Finance Cor,oration (DPC), and apparently the goverament, to accept their n of a small’ computer system for schools. The proposal involved manufacture of the comp elf (hardwere') and th nt of the programmes (‘aoftware’) to enable the mach ine “computer literacy" role and to be weed ac an eid in other subjects. At the time, the hinioter of 3ducation, wr i llington, announced he would ask the Cabinet to approve the intro- duction of Folys to all schools cost of about $10 million, in order to get 4 co-ordinated introduction of conytters into schools9. Co-ordinated is the key word, since programs written for one brand of computer in general will not run on another brand, If tne schools ended up with a variety of brands, then the considerable amount of work (several person-years) necessary to develop suitable educational programs would have to be done Several times instead of only once. In addition, schools wanted advice and financial support to buy the best rv their needs, aa choice by the sducation Lepartment followed by bulk buying was the cbvious course to follow, This never happened. What did happen wes revealed in a recent "Close-Up" program on #V. New Zealand distributors of foreign computers heard of Mr Wellington's intentions and formed a delegation to him to demand that the huge should bo put out to tender, Mr Wellington, his ‘private enterprise’ ideology to the fore, changed his mind and agreed to end the government preference for the 'Foly' and put the deal out to tender. In fact. the tendering turned the whole ¢ reasons. Firstly, the call for tendere was delayed by the government for two years, This gave one of the world's biggest micro-computer manufactuers Apple (of the U.S.A) the opportunity to grab a permanent foothold in the schools. Secondly, the tiducation Department never made a final decision; inetead, they published a list of five "equally suitable" machines— Foly and Apple among them ~ without even giving reasons for the choice. No money was given to help schools, and no bulk ordering. ercise into a farce for two This léaves schools with no money other than what parents can raise and thus subject largely to the offers of the various muntinational computer mamifacturers. It leaves them with only those programs that teachers can search cut or can write themselves ~ instead of a thought out, purpose designed set. It leaves them still uncure what computer they shovld buy. Apple, through ite local distributor, USD, grabbed the schools market py vicious price cutting; offcring machines at just e querter their normal price - just at the time that tenders were being called by the Bducation Department, supposedly to decide the issue, in June 1982. By September, almost 90% of New Zealand high schools had an Apple computer. Further cut price offers have followed. Since programs will now be developed for Apple machines throughout the country, it is likely to become the de facto stendard machine ~ opening a market to Apple of perhaps 20 times the number of machines ( about 400) they have sold up witil now. In addition, high school students, being famil- iar with Apple, will tend to favour’ it when they leave school. Apple has particularly aimed its sales st the school market inter- nationally. In November 1962, the «pple Computer Company was the force behind getting a bill passes through both houses of the US Congress allowing computer companies to recoup in tax credits 92% of manufact— uring costs for computers they gave to schools. This would cost the US taxpayer 3U8 35 million a year. apple promised to ‘give away! tens of thousands of machines to schools - at a cost to Apple of $100 each, ven though some 200 Foly machines have been sold to scnools, and the fact (according to 'Interface', the Now Zealand Computer Society magazine) that 'Poly is s-polished’ provuct with very good educational programs', it is difticult to sce it competing successfully with this kind of maltinational compotition, Its manufacturer, loiycorp (now owned 75% by Proseni, a New Zealand software company, and 25% by the10. DFC) is trying to find export markets and opeminge in the business rket. although strong interest in it has been shown in australia, China and the UsA, it will be a struggle for it to survive agai huge gulti-billion dollar corporations without a secure home warket, & golden opportunity to de industry has deliberately 2» new New Zealand 'high technology’ n thrown away,’ 3. THs SPRECTS OF C.a.R, The tyre indistry developments, described above, are one clear example of where Cuk is leading New Zealand industry. Unfortunately, it is ~ already - not the only example, The trends take at least 5 main form: a; Factories in New Zealand closing because of competition through CuR Atlas Majestic, Masterton 20 whitewear workers sacked Donagay's Industries 30 rope workers to be laid off Bdnonds Food Industries 14 redundant in move from Christchurch to Auckland. Keidrubber 440 + workers sacked, b; New Zealand companies acquiring Australian subsidiaries Addington Timber, (timber) Donaghy's (ropes) Feltex (ropes). Healing (chemicals) Lane Walker Rudkin (clothing) Lion (beer etc) McVicar Timber (timber) PDL (plastic moulding) (PDL laid off 32 workers in Christchurch before Christmas and in February). Some of these could be seen as setting up of outlets for exports, but most of them either are, or are seen by the company as having the potential for, shifting production to australia, Thus new investment ia taking place in Australia rather than in New Zealend. In geveral cases the move wis described as ‘rationalisation! of production; i.e. each country specialising in a certain product. ven if the New Zealand factory gets the more lucrative product, this igs at the expense of australian workers, and ends any hope of either country being self-sufficient in a major product. This will also apply to foreign owned companies lreidy operating in australia and New Zealand, Holeproo?, owned by Dunlop-Ulympic of Australia, has already expressed this’ intention. ce; Given as an important factor in takeovers and mergers between large companies operating in New Zeeland; Dyre industry Reidrubber snd Dunlop Wine Industry Cooks, Penfolds, Ncwilliams a; Contributed to increased foreign holdings in New Zealand companies; Repeo (australia) in MSI Ltd and Andrews and Beaven Ltd. Woolworths (australia) in L,D,Nathan."i 83 Threatened further induetries. The footwear and toms cheap imports from australia, dustries are at present under threat from These are juet the reported events that have come to our notice. Other events include market-sharing agreenents ( instead of the promised "free competition") in the timber and dairy industries, contin- uing protection by australia of its timber and fruit juice industries, anda trend towards grocery manufacturers in New Zealand dropping manufacture in favour of importing grocery lines. We could also report many fears expressed by nany New Zcaland industrialists and unionists on problems appearing on the horizon. The facts (so far!) speak for themselves. The trends add up to: * the more rapid develovment of monopolies in New Zealand, * inereased foreign control of New Zealand. * ‘the run dow of manufacturing in New Zealand. Some New Zealanders will certainly benefit from these trends; the shareholders of big companies like Feltex, PDL, Watties/ Goodman, L.D. Nathan, Dunlop., Lion, lane Walker Rudkin. But’ for ‘those New Zealanders who rely on a job or sm&11 business for a living, the trend so far is towards less opportunity, more unemployment, and’ lower incomes. And CER will not have been fully phased in for several years! * * * * * * * QVERSBAS DRUG COMPANISS IN NEW ZDALAND There have been two recent examples in N "Research Studies". Tn reality, these etudies are sales promotion and public relations work, The first notorious example is Upjohn's finding of a survey to assess the long-term use of contraceptives - the Pill, IUD, Depo Provera, Rhythm, Only a quarter of the study would assess DP (Depo Provera)’and’ this is confined only to new users of the drug, The figures that come out of the survey’ will all be sent to the U.S, for Upjohn's "experts" to analyse, The malts of Upjohn's own tests on the drug were suppressed by the company. However long-term tests in 1970 on bes animals developed both breast and w i 1979 revealed that the only hount hysterectomies, all the others lad of drug companies funding © hounds revealed that the cancers, Purther research in survived the study had had of cancer of the uterus. Upjohn claims that the tests were invalid because these animale had proved sensitive to progesterone (the female hormone that composes the arug). But a ten year study of rhecus monkeys (used because uterine cancer is extremely rare in these monkeys), revealed that two out of the 16 monkeys given high doses of the Grug died of uterine cancer and the others had uterine disease proportionate to the dose of DP they'd received. Women's groups and health centres have long campaigned against the drug. As well as the cancer risk, they cite they cite the heavy bleeding weight gain, depression, and infertility among many other symptoms. These side éffects are constantly downplayed by the prescribing doctors. Depo Provera for use among rscial minorities and the economically dis- advaritaged is promoted both by Upjohn and the medical profession, who describe these women 2s "low motivation" contraceptive users and freq~ uently do not bother to inform them of the riske of D.P.DP is banne@ in the U.S. and restricte (though it is used on abori wonen). However, Upjohn is constantly working to reverse the bannings and restrictions, witness the public enquiry now taking vlace in Britain, Upjohn has Admitted to the U.S. Securities and sxchange Comsission that between 1971 and 1974 it spent $4 million. bribing foreimm goveranents and fauily planning officials to use the drug. The NZ Family Flanning association is one of the main agents in NZ for the Upjohn survey. The motivation for the NZ survey is that Upjohn hopes to once again challenge the Food and Drug administration van on LE, Reversing tais van would allow DP to be manufactured in the US (our supplies come from Belgium), The US State Department policies prevent drugs not marketted in the US to be distributed from 41D (the main channel for US overseas aid) throughout the Third World, US manufacture would allow entry into this market. It would also open up the lucrative North American market which is partly the reason why NZ women were chosen as a comparable sample type. in Bri tain and australia A drug with proven serious short-term side effects and a proven risk of dangerous long-term effects is being tested on NZ women, for the profit and marketing opportunities Upjohn will achieve. The other example is provided by Beecham, which through its research laborities has announced 2 research’ grant to the NZ Newrolog- ical Foundation. Sounds wonderful? Well the size of the grant is tied to the sale in NZ of its "new" antibiotic Floxapen. The company's ad blurb sent to doctors says: " The grant is funded directly from Floxapen sales, Svery Ploxapen prescription direelty contributes to. the funde available" It vetimatgs that potential income to the, Foundation could reach $56,000 " with the profession's support". In August last year, a chemical copy of Beecham's antibiotic, made by Instituto Biochimicio Iteliano, arrived on the NZ market, Named Flucloxin, its price was the same’as Ploxapen and it arrived on the narket two months later. Both drugs wore free to the patient and fully covered by the prescription subsidy. Need we say more? CONSUMERS INSTITURS PINPOLWTS COkaLCO CaFCINZ noted with appreciation thet Dick Smithies, director of the Consunere Institute, stated that the main reason that domestic power charges were too high was because of the special power price for the Tivai Foint aluminium smelter. We're obviously in good company. Incidentally, Bill Birch is still bravely insisting that NZ will be well placed when the aluwiniur market comes right. He cites Italy and Japan as tvo countries where power charges are too high for profitable smelting, and says the recent expansion at Tiwai Ponit leaves us well placed. which goes to prove that the main attraction of NZ for the aluminium giants is the giveaway power price. Never mind, perhaps Bill will usc the $180,000 he got from the BONZ towards making up the economic loss to the country from Comalco and indeed the whole Think Big fiasco. So next time you get 2 whopping power bill, think of Comalco and console yourself that they will be well placed wher the matket picks up.Watchdog 40 detailed various dope and duty free fiddling scandals at the Deep Feeze base at Harewood (Christchurch Airport). It also detailed the news media's lack of interest in the story. Since then, lawyers acting for the relatives of the crew of the Air New Zealand DO- 10 that crashed into Nt srebus, Antarctica, have filed a damages clain against the US Government in the american court system. The claim alleges that Department of Defense personnel (i.e. US Navy) particularly the air traffic controllers at hoMurdo Sound, were deverely and adversely affected by drugs and alcohol to the point of being unable to properly perform their duties and responsib- ilities. This claim is based on the fact of dope being found during NZ Customs searches of US aircreft in Christchurch on route to Antarc- tica. It alleges that the DoD knew about this dope traffic and yet did not take it into account in selecting its air traffic controlless and other McMurdo personnel. The claim has been strenuously denied by DSIR Antarctic division spokesmen, and Deep Freeze has said "no comment”, The US government has moved to have it dismissed on the grounds that it didn't happen within the jurisdiction of American law. Be that as it may, the NZ media are left with egg on their faces for passing up 5 story thet could have 2 direct bearing on the worst air disaster in NZ's history, and one of the worst in aviation history, But lets give credit where oredit's duc. After the local media turned the story down, CAFCIN2 circulated it to other media contacts through- out the country. One of them, Robert Jones (no, not Bob), wrote it up for the "6 O'Clock", the auckland Star's weekend edition, and tele- printered it down to the "deckend Star" in Christchurch, which ran it word for word, This is nothing short of amazing, considéring that the editor of the Star had killed the story when it’ had been written up by one of his own journslists., So a Christchurch story got into a Christchurch paper vie auckland, There is one factual error in Jones' article - Owen Wilkes did not obtain the material under the US Freedom of Information Act, but from the General assembly Library in Wellington, And although the story dealt with the dope smuggling angle, it gave no coverage to the material covering duty-free fiddles at Harewood. But full marks to Watchdog subscriber Robert Jones, who also wrote up an "8 O'Clock" atory on NZ military links with the Philippines, based on CAFCINZ revelations about the Sas execrising their "special warfare" there. All is not yst lost in the Fourth Bstate. UAPCINZ will watch with keen interest to see if s if the Deep Freeze boys were so out of it that they couldn't see a DC 10 flying into a mountain. DOUGLAS SuLLS 20 GBxbAN MULTI? TONAL One should never underestimate Labour's penchant for snatching defeat from the jaws of vicbory. God knows, they've done it often enough, But in the fulness of time, they'll be the next government, and barring reshuffles, Roger Douglas will be the next Minister of Finance, Roger's a fan of foreign investment, And he's prepared to practise what he preaches, He's just sold Red Seal Laboratories Ltd, the 60 year old Douglas family herbal and health foods business, to Sonata Laborat- ories Ltd, a subsidiary of the German-based Welle Cosmetics group. He snd other family mcubcrs will stay ou as consulvants for 5 years. The price was not disclosed; annual turnover is $3 million plus.14, THINK BIG STINKS BIG TO NAOKTS The Ngatiawa people of Taranaki are among the first in the country to find out the wonderful benefits of the Think Big strategy, The Notunui methanol plant's proposed outfall pipe threatened to pollute ‘their traditional seafood beds ( which are already badly polluted from the néarby Waitara sewerage outfall), So they took it to the Waitangi Tribunal, one of Mat Reta's legacies from his days as Labour's Minister of Meori affairs, The Tribunal said " no Motonui pipeline"; Muldoon's reaction was instant, Quicker than he could say "I'd have shot Lim myself”, he overruled the Tribunal - stuff the Traety of Waitangi, to which such straightfaced homage is paid every year as the backbone of our bicultural heritage. wldoon had no hesitation in putting Mobil and Think Big before local Maori people. Since then, of course, he’s had to climb down, and agree to the whole lop going through the existing Waitara pipeline, ‘But the Neatiawa are not just sufferiag from the potential Think Big pollution. The first euch scheme, the Kapuni ammonia urea plant, is already open and polluting the nation's TV screens with its racist ads. It is also repeatedly polluting nearby waterways and the Taranaki coastline with its offensive and toxic waste. It's always been caused by “unique chains of events", or "unforeseen circumstances", but so far it has happened with monotonous regularity. Te Whiti's non-violent campaign originated from Parihaka in Tara- naki, Perhaps the Ngatiawa will need all of his courage and resources to resist the increasing encroachment of Think Big on their wey of life, Think Big that literally shite on their food.