INDIA'S TARIFF.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 227, 25 September 1922, Page 6

INDIA'S TARIFF.

THE PREFERENTIAL SYSTEM. LIMITED APPLICATION. PROTECTION OF INDUSTRY. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright* (Received 10.30 a.m.) DELHI, September 23. The report of the Indian Fiscal Commission to inquire ipto the tariff policy of the Government' of India, including the question of the desirability of adopting the principle of Imperial Preference, has been issued. It recommends adoption of the policy, to be applied with discrimination, and proposed the constitution of a Tariff Board to investigate tho claims of particular industries to protection. In regard to Imperial Preference the Commission holds that any general system of preference to British products will involve a serious burden, which it is unreasonabl. India should shoulder. It recommends a Tariff Board to examine the question of particular commodities with a view to seeing whether preference on them should be granted, linal decision to rest with the legislature. The Indian cotton excise ie condemned, and tlie recommendation is made with a view to enabling India to tackle the problem afresh with a clean slate, that the principles of export duties should be examined and the conclusion drawn is that they should only lie imposed for revenue purposes. The Commission, however, considers that under certain exceptional circumstances it may-be necessary to impose temporary export duties on food and grains with a view to restricting their export. The report is unanimous subject to minutes signed by a minority, who recommend an unqualified pronouncement in favour of protection, subject only to such discrimination as the Government and the legislature may desire to exercise. They unreservedly condemn the cotton excise duties and cannot agree to preference in favour ol the United Kingdom until complete fiscal control is vested in non-official members of the legislature, nor in favour of the Dominions, even on the basis of reciprocity unti] the Indian people are fully admitted to the status of complete equality.—(Reuter.)