CONCESSIONS BY U.S.

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25345, 19 November 1947, Page 5

CONCESSIONS BY U.S.

Exports From N.Z. MEAT, WOOL, AND BUTTER (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, November 18. Important concessions by the United States affecting exports of New Zealand primary products were announced in the general agreements on tariffs and trade, published throughout the world to-day. Tariffs have been reduced by 50 per cent, for beef and veal (from six cents to three cents)-, mutton (from five cents to two and a half cents), lamb (from seven cents to three and a half cents), and edible offals (from three cents with a 15 per cent, minimum to one and a half cents with a 7 J per cent, minimum).

The proposed reduction in the duty on butter is from 14 cents to seven cents for an annual global quota of 50,000,0001 b weight to be entered between November 1 and March 31. The duty on other butter is to be held at 14 cents.

For wool not finer than 44’s, the rate of duty is unchanged, but for finer wools the rate is reduced from 34 cents to 25J cents. Reductions are also made for grass and clover seeds in certain categories. For white clover the reduction is from six cents to four cents, for Browntop grass from 20 cents to 15 cents, for chewings fescue from two cents to one cent, for other fescue from two cents to one cent, and for grass seeds not separately provided for from two cents to one cent. On peas the United States will reduce duty from one and three-quarter cents to seven-eighths of one cent and for apples a bushel of 501 b from 15 cents to 12J cents New Zealand has offered in return various concessions, including a reduction in duty on some drapery items, linoleum, wool textile piece goods, clocks, cameras, certain ■ industrial machinery, artificers’ tools, and motor vehicles. Motor vehicles in completely knocked down condition will still be covered by British preferential tariff of 5 per cent., but the most favoured nation tariff will be 40 per cent., compared with the existing general tariff of 50 per cent.