PRIMAGE DUTY.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 243, 14 October 1935, Page 10

PRIMAGE DUTY.

TIME FOR ABOLITION. MANUFACTURERS' OPINION. ACTION IN AUSTRALIA. Information has been received by the New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation showing that the Australian Government on September 20 abolished primage duty on a long list of goods imported into Australia from the United Kingdom. Previously primage had been charged at rates ranging from 5 to 10 per cent. In referring to this matter in Wellington (states the "Post") Mr. A. E. Mander, secretary of the federation, said that in New Zealand primage is charged only on imports which are

duty free under the tariff. "The New Zealand Manufacturers' Fedentivti has repeatedly urged the Government to abolish primage, at least on "cinuodities imported from Great Britain, - ' he said. "Indeed, it is explicitly provided in the Ottawa Agreement that this shall be done as soon as prae'icai'lp. Article 11 of the Agreement reads: "H.M. Government in New Zealand undertake that

the existing primage duty of .1 per cent now levied on United Kingdom goods which arc otherwise duty free . . -

shall be abolished as soon as financial conditions permit." A similar undertaking was given at Ottawa by Australia, and it was pleasing to note that the Commonwealth had now found her financial conditions so far improved that the step of abolishing primage could be taken.

Evidently, from the Budget statement, the New Zealand Government did not feel that financial conditions' in this Dominion were yet such as would permit this article of the Ottawa Agreement to be carried out and no provision had been made for it in the Budget, said Mr. Mander. Nevertheless, the fiovernment of New Zealand was explicitly committed to this step at the earliest possible moment and it was most unlikely that with improving finance it could be delayed much longer.