CUSTOMS RETURNS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20510, 1 April 1932, Page 12

CUSTOMS RETURNS.

THE FINANCIAL YEAR. CHRISTCHURCH FIGURES. For the financial year 1931-32, aa compared with 1930-31, receipts from Customs duties at. Christchurch decreased by £219,097 ; beer duty yielded £1502 more; from the motor spirit tax £19,194 more was received; tyre duty was £3997 less; meat export levy was £1344 less; dairy produce levy £5 less; and from other sources the receipts were £447 less. From all sources receipts were £204,194 less in 1931-32. Decrease in Customs Receipts in Five Years. An indication of altered economic conditions is given by the fact that receipts from Customs duties at Christchurch, have decreased in five years by about one-third. In 1927-28 they amounted to £1.083,800. or £367j,93S more than in 1931-32. The figures for the past five years are: — Year. £ 1931-32- ... ... 717,862 1930-31 ... ... 936,959 1920-30 ... l9'>B-29 ... . . 1.050,375 1927-28 ... •■• 1.083,800 Financial Tear. Following arc the details for the financial years 1931-32 and 1930-31 : 1931-32. 1930-31. £. £ Net. Customs .. .. 717,862 936,959 JTet beer duty .. •• 36,012 84,510 Motor spirit tax .. 22R.028 206,834 Tyre duty .. .. 10,356 14,833 Meat export levy .. 5,879 7,223 Dairy produce levy .. 684 689 Other sources .. .. 7,973 8,425 I Totals .. £1,055,299 £1,258,483 Included in the total from other sources is £9 Is lid honey export levy in 1931-32, and £2 15s lOd from the same source in 1930-31. March Quarter. From all sources during the March quarter 1932, the receipts were less by £8998, as compared with the March quarter of 1931. Details follow: — 1932. 1931. £ £ Net Customs .. .. 186,041 158.742 Net beer duty ~ .. 19,254 18,083 Motor apirit tax .. .. 52,625 37,361 Tyre duty .. ~ 2,481 5,204 Meat export levy .. 2,011 2,03>j Dairy produce levy .. 272 283 Otlier sources .. 3,702 3,684 Totals .. .. £066,386 £275,384 Month of March. Eeceipts for the month of March, 1932, show only slight variations as compared with March, 1931; the increase from all sources in March, 1932, was £864. Customs receipts last month were £1095 better than in Mareh r 1931; beer duty was £562 better; from the motor spirit tax, £953 less was received: from tyre dnty, £B3 less; from the meat lew. £l3l less; from the dairy produce levy. £3l more; and from other sources, £177 more. Details are: — Marsh, March, 1932. 1931. £ £ Net Custom* .„ .. 61,984 60,889 Net beer duty .. ~ 7,965 Tylo3 Motor apirit tax ... .. 18.P83 19,636 Tyre duty .. .. SO9 746 Meat txport levy .. 702 833 Dairy produce levy .. 95 C 4 Other sources ~ 981 80-1 Totals .. ... £91,230 £90,375 AUCKLAND. (F&R33 uiaoCUTIOV TXtZCHUU.) , AUCKLAND, Mareh 31. The Customs duties collected at Auckland lor th« financial year ended to-day show a decrease of £297,186 on 1931. The decline is offset to some extent by an increase of £34,874 in .the* petrol and tyre duties. For tha first seven months' the ordinary Cnstoma revenue was consistently below that of the previous year, but from then onward increases .have been shown. The totals were: — £ 1932 .. .. 2,225,987 1931 . . • . 2,488,299 The flunres for the mouth, compared with March Jasb year, were:— March, 1932. March, 1931. ' £ £ Custom*' .. 157,862 129,538 Motor spirit .. 48,602 47,064 Tyre tax .. 1,756 3,036 Beer dnty .. 14,812 10,443 WELLINGTON. (7SKM USSOCUTIOX TXLKSXAX.) WELLINGTON, March 31. The Customs returns for th« year ended to-day were £2,173,885, against £2,919,713 last year. The revenue for last month was £182,726 against £241,853 in Mareh, 1931. The beer excise for March was £6687 against £5868 for the corresponding month last year. For the twelve months the total beer dnty collected was £61,040, compared with £55,484 for the previous financial year. The duty collected on motor spirit last month amounted to £40,901 at 6d per gallon, against £45,125 for March, 1931, and to £13,633 at 2d per gallon, making the total for the month £54,534. This extra duty of 2d per gallon is paid into the Consolidated Fund, and is included in the net Customs collections. The collections of tyre tax last month were £1385 against £1593 for March, 1931. For the twelve months the total tyre tax collected was £22,906 against £37,668 for the previous financial year. DUNEDIN. (PRESS iSSOCUTIOIt TStiEOftAU.) DUNEDIN, March 31. The Customs revenue for March, compared with the same month last year, was as under:— $ March, March. 1932. 1931. £ £ N«t Customs .. 52,869 40,734 Beer duty .. 19,217 14,821 Petrol tax .. 14,294 11,997 Tyre tax .. 759 513 Fot the financial year ended to-day, the figures compared with, those for last year were:— 19D2. 1931. £ £ Net Customs .. 554,541 697,963 Beer duty .. 131,505 202,194 Petrol tax .. 158,488 132,391 Tyre tax *. 9,177 11,633 SOVIET PETROL. NO AUSTRALIAN IMPORTS. Boxm time ago it was published that a representative of the Russian Government was visiting Australia for the purpose of marketing Soviet petrol. Melbourne traders claim there is no basis for the rumours that Soviet petrol is to be introduced into Australia for general distribution,, under-cutting existing prices, says a Melbourne paper. They point out that Russia has no facilities for exporting fuel and oil to Australia, and that no permission can be obtained from the harbour trusts' in Sydney and Melbourne for the erection of the storage tanks that will be essential for any scheme of marketing Soviet petrol on a profitable scale. The threat of a Soviet fuel dnmping campaign has been present in Australia for the last year, but every supply of "Russian* petrol marketed in Sydney or Melbourne has proved, when investigated, to have come from one of the bankrupt American independent oil companies. Customs figures also show that only small imports of Russian fuels have reached Australia, the totals being too small for any public distribution.