IMPORTED GOODS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 56, Issue 81, 17 January 1936, Page 2

IMPORTED GOODS

AUSTRALIAN AND CANADIAN.

HIGHER DUTIES SOUGHT. fPer Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Jan. 16. Some of the major problems confronting the manufacturing industries of the Dominion were outlined by a deputation from the Manufacturers' Federation to the .Prime Minister (the Hon. M. J. Savage), the Hon. W. Nash (Minister of Customs), and the Hon. D. G. • Sullivan (Minister of Industries and Commerce) this morning. The deputation was particularly concerned about the tariff on Australian and Canadian goods and asked for an increase of 16 per cent, compared with the tariff on British goods. It was also concerned about the operation of the exchange and the sales tax and Japanese competition in the textile trade. Replying to the deputation, Mr Savage said the . Government's disability was the accumulations of the last sixteen years. He had'.been in Parliament for that period and he .had 1 watched barriers being erected against New Zealand and its people." We have been here eight or nine days trying to implement our policy, 1 ' he stated, "and it does not seem reasonable that it can be done in that time. The accumulations of fifteen or sixteen years are pretty large. There are such things as the rate of exchange which was raised in spite of our opposition, and the sales tax to which the same thing applies. A lot of your complaints have risen out of those*things. "There is any amount of room for development within the British Commonwealth of Nations. That has been our policy always, but it is only now that we have our chance. You can take my word for it that we are not going to sleep on the job. 'Borne of our men have been working almost all round the clock to provide the Cabinet with reports that will enable it to instruct the law draftsmen. What you have been saying we have been saying. Our job is to try and put back some of what has been taken away. You have promised your co-operation, and we wholeheartedly accept it. No doubt you will be able to help us in shaping the conditions that should be. You have the wholehearted sympathy and co-operation of the Government." Mr Sullivan said the Government wanted to build up New Zealand industries and its attitude was New Zealand first, the British Commonwealth of Nations second, and other countries third. "If we are to control external trade with the countries witn whom we are dealing, they will determine what they will take by negotiation, and we will determine what we will take by negotiation," said Mr Nash.