SECOND PERIOD.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 22, 27 January 1939, Page 11

SECOND PERIOD.

EARLY APPLICATIONS. ISSUE MAY TAKE TIME. COMPENSATION QUESTION. (By Telegraph.— Press Association.) WELLINGTON', Thursday. In addition to answering the 33 prepared questions submitted to him at the importer*' conference to-day, Mr. Xash answered a number of verbal question*. He wa» nuked if he could give the conference any idea when importer* might be able to apply for permit* to import during the second six month* of the year. "Applications can go in now," replied the Minister. "It is a case of their being dealt with." He did not think it would be possible to deal with them for some little time, but not a long time. In the case of essential good*, he etigjjewted it might be within a week or 10 days. With regard to other goods, it might take a month or more. Mr. W. A. Boucher, president of the Bureau of Importers, Auckland, said a large number of appeals had been submitted. He asked the Minister if h* would tell the conference how the appeals were dealt with, by whom, and what delay there would be before they were answered. Mr. Nash said he thought that hundreds of appeals had been dealt with already. Where there was a possibility of a general principle being adopted, there might be a little delay. Where there was an individual case alone, that dealt with one commodity, he would try to expedite consideration of it almost at once. Those hearing appeals were not specially elected persons, added the Minister. The work was being done by the Customs Department, and, where it required any further information from other Departments, it got all the information it wanted, in order tc enable it to come to a reasonable

judgment. Compensation Issoe. Another question the Minister wae asked wae whether there was any intention of compensating firms put out of business by the import restrictions and, if eo, to what extent. "I am afraid I cannot go into that just now," replied tlw> Minieter. "I don't know whether it would be practicable to work out cnni])eneation. Even if we were not going the rnad we are going to-day, you would still be compelled to restrict imports." The course that had been adopted was only one of the roads. Imports into the Dominion during the next twelve months muet be restricted. In replies to two points raised by firme interested in imports and manufacturing in New Zealand, issued by Mr. Xaeh to-day, the Minister stated that during the manufacturing year ended March 31, 1038, the cost of all materials used by the clothing manufacturers wae £1,899,310, the value of product* being £3,902,056. During the same period 130,463 dozen pairs of fulllength «ilk hoee were produced in factories of the Dominion, the declared value being £207,397.