COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ITEMS.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9323, 25 January 1896, Page 7

COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL ITEMS.

"WRINKLES" FROM AMERICA. In the llepoitfof the American Secretary of Agtkulti.no for 1595, Mr Morton enlarges upon' tho subject of meat inspection, which is now carried out, ab a heavy expeuso in order to give satisfaction to tho Governments of certain European countries. He states that over eighteen lnijJiou animals were inspected during the year, or 50 per cent, more than in the preceding twelve months. But so far aa security against cattle disease goes (remarks the London Standard), wo have long ceased to rely upon inspection in thin country, uud our arrangements as to port-slaughter will never be affected by the moat perfect system of inspection possible in an exporting country. In the case of meat there m more to be said for inspection, provided that it is really carried out iv a thorough manner, and probably the export trade with Germany and Franco has been benefited by tho new arrangements. At any rate, Mr Morton pays that, in spite of tho actio* of Germany in discriminating against Aartiiiuaii meal, neatly thirty million Eouuds of microscopically inspected hams, accn, o,inl o'-uer-tmred " swine products" wero exported ..directly to that country; while Frajfccv-Srliich discriminates intermittently, *4K>ok over nine million pounds. A soro point with our American friends is the bad .reputation which choir cheese has attained in England. Mr Morton knows, and no doubt deplores, the reason, which is the extensive aduiteiation of American cheese with fat, used to replace cream abstracted from the milk. During the year under iiotieo this cheese, it is pointed out, touched tho lowest price ever known—namely, 2Jol 17ct per 1001b. The most useful work for Ameiicau. farmers done by tho Department during tho year was an enquiry into tho condition of main roads in the country and the best methods of road making, More than half the States, it ia said, havo passed new road laws during the twelve mouths. The Secretary directs attention to a report on tho cost of hauling farm products to market, compiled from information received from 1160 counties, which shows the great expense entailed by bad roads and the high value of g'io.d onao. .j.* -...» . ■'.___ ■■•• ,' 'tA*XES ON -KGLISH LAND. It is a •statement that there is •cope for onlyS small reduction in the burdens ou land in England. But M>" W. J. Harris has just published au estimate which makes tho local and Imperial rates and taxes ou laud and tho tit ho rent-charge equal to 10* an aero on the total cultivated area of England and Wales. Without, tithe, the amount per aero would bo about 7d 9.1. Returns to the Statistical Committee ot tho Central Chamber of Agriculture from 363 farms in England and Wales in 1832, showed an average of 4s 41 an acre for rates, income tax, and land lax, uud tithe and death duties* would bring the amount up to about 3* 4d. Mr William Sturgo, a Past President of tho Surveyor.,' Institution, in a paper read last December, made the total local and imperial burdens on agricultural land 9j 6£d in the pound on tho gross annual value. The Hon. Edward Strutt, Agent to Guy's Hospital Estates in Essex, showed, in the "Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society," last June, that, in 1893. rates ond laud tax alone amouuted to 6* llsd in tho pound on the rent, apart from the tithe. It property tax, the new estate duty, aud inhabited house duty wero added, ho says, the land would be charged about 9? 8d iv the pound. In addition, the tithe came to 6s in the pound on tho gross annual valuo o! the land. Tenant's income tax is not included, and there is now, presumably, a new Parish Cotiucil rate to pay. The landlords' payments alone amounted to considerably more than half the gross rental, and out of the other half all the estate expenses had to bo paid. This Essex case it muoh worse than an average example would be ; but there must be many estates in quite as bad a position, and soma in a woiso ono.

ANGLO JAPANESE TREATY. Tho ratifications of the Anglo-Japanese commercial treaty were exchanged ou the 29th November last, and the new tariff is published. The list of revised duties is a fairly long one, but very few of the items are of any direct importance to Australian {iroducers, as thoy almost wholly have reerence to manufactured good?. The following items, however, are of iutereat — 32. Lead, pig and slab, per 100 catties. 0.316 yen. ; 33, leather (a) solo leather, 5.690 yen. ; (b) other classes ad valorem, 10 per cent. 48, tin, pig and slab, per 100 catties, 1.992 yen.; 63, zinc, pig aud slab, per 100 catties, 0.451 yen. (The cattie is a weight of about The figures have reference to imports into Japan ; but the Government ore also seeking to extend their export trade, and are closely inquiring into tbe best methods of doing so. The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce have, at the suggestion of the Government Department of Agriiulture and Commerce, Toported upon the impediments opsrating against Japanese merchants in the extension jf their direct trade with foreign countries. These impediments are reported to be—l, Imperfection of the credit system ; 2, the high rates of interest in Japan as compared with those ruling iv the West; 3, the ignorance of the Japauese merchants engaged in direct trade as to the conditiou ot commerco abroad; 4, want of unifoimity in tho quality of Japanese manufactures and frequent deterioration of manufacturing processes. Suggestions are also made for improving the Position, includiug amongst them some for the increase of banking facilities, the extension of the mercantile marine, and for tho prevention of inferior workmanship being f placed upon the market. .j, SUCCESSION DUTIES IN FRANCE. * Agriculture, says the Journal d'Agricultttre Pratique, has no praise to give to the new succeusion duties voted by the French Chamber, as it is in effect owners of agricultural property who will be worst treated by the change. Landed property, it is pointed out, cannot be concealed in an inventory of . snecessiou as personal property often is, and the result will be the investment of money ■ ' toore and more in personal securities in preferei.ee »oJund, to ilia depreciation of rural Wopcrty The duties aro from 1 to 14 per

cent, on properties up to 2000f., according to degrees of consanguinity or their absence, .steadily rising until they reach 4 to 20 percent, on properties exceeding 3,000, OOOf. But there is some compensation in a redaction to 2 per cent, of the duty on sales of rural land up to IOOQf. iv value, reducing tho estimated gain from the revised taxation from 18 million francs per annum to 12 millions; aud further iv the agreement as to the application of this net bonus to the reduction of the hea,vy duties on transfers of rural landed properties under SOOOf. in value. If another Bill paased by the Chamber, in relation to the octrois, which, like the one on the Buccoeaion duties, has yet to be submitted to the Senate, becomes law, there will be reason, on the whole, to congratulate French agriculturists, as it authorises the Communes to suppress these market dues wholly or in part, and to ciicoso taxes iv substitution, subject to the approval of the Legislature.