TRADE WITH FIJI.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 29, 4 February 1937, Page 4

TRADE WITH FIJI.

FAULTY INVOICING. TROTEST FROM SUVA. In a letter forwarded to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from Fiji the writer complains of the slackness of New Zealand traders in regard to invoicing. He sayj, inter alia:— In this ottico. and in other offices in Suva, we are continually being harassed by a serious annoyance that crops up time and time again in our dealings with suppliers in iscw Zealand. I refer to the almost universal habit of suppliers in New Zealand sending goods to us accompanied only by a domestic invoice such as is used within the Dominion, it seems to us to *how a certain lack of imagination when domestic invoices arc used to accompany goods going out of the country, even though they are coming to another British possession.

The usual form of invoice used in New Zealand i.s not acceptable to the Fiji Customs because it does not show the country of origin, and docs not contain a declaration as to value. In order to obtain delivery of goods covered by such an invoice we are compelled to lodge a cash deposit with the local Customs Oiliee until we are able to obtain a satisfactory invoice. The amount of the deposit is arbitrary, and depends sometimes on the value of the goods and sometimes on the state of the Customs olliccr's liver. We are afterwards compelled to resort to the usual method of extracting cash from the Government--by voucher- —which is a very roundabout method of obtaining a refund of our cash deposit.

It gives us little inducement to deal with New Zealand when this annoying habit is continually met with. Little difficulty is experienced with Australian suppliers, and it i« hard to understand why this particular form of complaint should have to be levelled against New Zealand suppliers. AVe have to write asking for fresh invoices by practically every mail.