IMPORTS FOR NEXT YEAR

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26179, 1 August 1950, Page 6

IMPORTS FOR NEXT YEAR

More Than 300 Items To Be Free Of Control

NO DECISION YET ON CARS. AND CARPETS

About one-third of the items at present controlled by import licensing will be freed from control when the 1951 import licensing schedule takes effect at the beginning of next year, and they may then be imported without licences from any soft currency country. The decontrolled items include most industrial machinery, a wide range of industrial raw materials and essential foodstuffs.

The new schedule was announced last evening by the Minister of Customs (Mr C. M. Bowden). He said that the Import Advisory Committee had recommended that major changes be made. The committee had found that in the cage of carpets, motor-cars and trucks, and crockery and earthenware, there were special problems which could not be determined in the time available. Final decisions on those items would be announced later.

In all, >326 items are to be freed from control, and Mr Bowden said they represented possibly £45,000,000 in value. “I propose to make a separate announcement later in regard to reforms to the system, apart from those directly relating to the schedule,” Mr Bowden said, “arjd these, with the new licensing schedule, should greatly facilitate the resumption of normal importing over a wide field of goods.”

The Import Advisory Committee had reported to the Government on the main aspects of the import licensing policy and administration, Mr Bowden said, and not only had the schedule been released, as he had promised, very much earlier than usual, but it embodied such major alterations that the. licensing system would differ greatly from that of the last 11£ years. The committee had reported that it had found a large number of items subject to licensing without achieving any effective control over the expenditure of overseas funds. Those Hems, with some others, had been decontrolled, bearing in mind the interests of the consumers and representations made by the trading community. The decontrolled items would save the Government departments concerned an immense amount of time, and enable* more prompt .attention to be given to the remaining items iij the schedule. Importers and traders would be free from much filling in of forms and delay and uncertainty, and possibly lower prices might result. “Another change is that, as announced by the Prime Minister (Mr Holland) last March, licences will be issued for calendar years (that is ending on December 31), and this is justified by the fact that the licensing schedule is issued several months earlier than has been usual in the past,” Mr Bowden said. “In the case

“Finally,” said the Minister, “I am glad to think that in future I shall be free from the enormous weight of appeals that have been made to me,over the last few months.” The scheduled countries referred to by Mr Bowden are:—Albania, Argentina. Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Somaliland, Germany (Russian zone), Germany (Western), Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iran, Japan, Jugoslavia, Korea, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama. Philippines, Poland, Rumania, Switzerland, Tangier, Uruguay. United States of America, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Venezuela.

of goods on the ‘exempt’ list, rr arked ‘E’ in the schedule, import without licence from a soft currency source will be in order after January 1, 1951. “Particularly should it be noted that in fixing the list of free ‘exempt’ items full regard was paid to the interests of economic manufacturing industries within New Zea- ' land. “Licences in all cases will continue to be necessary for imports from hard currency countries, the policy in regard to which must remain substantially unchanged. Licences Interchangeable “In extension of the Government’s 1 policy of liberalising overseas trade and in compliance with the spirit of international conferences in recent years, non-discrimination between countries in the soft currency area has now been adopted, with the full knowledge and approval of the United Kingdom Government. Our Government announced last December that licences available on one British Commonwealth country would be available on any other British country, except Canada, that exemption being purely on currency grounds. The new licensing schedule provides that any licence, other than a licence on a scheduled country or a licence specially limited, is available for imports from any country other than a scheduled country. This will enable trade to follow its normal channels of supply, and facilitate imports from the most satisfactory sources. This interchangeability will operate forthwith, and all 1950 licences may be used on any country which is not a listed country in the schedule. “Another change is that the items in respect of which applications are [ reported upon bv the Department of i Industries and Commerce are specially marked in the schedule. As in the past, all applications must still be lodged with, and licences will still be issued by, the Customs Department. In the main, allocations are based on 1950 licences, but in certain cases where it is thought that anomalies may have been created, the Import Advisory Committee has recommended that 1949 licences be used as a basis, and in others the actual imports under licences for that year. All items freed from licensing for import from soft currency countries are marked ‘E’ in the schedule, and will also be listed in a separate Gazette notice. Principal Exemptions “Some of the principal items freed from control are:—most industrial machinery, household sewing machines, galvanised iron, steel sheet, artificers’ tools; a wide range of industrial raw materials such as metals, dry paints ' and colours, dyeing materials, cotton yarn, scrim and wallpaper; certain essential requirements for our primary industries such as manures, meat wraps and vegetable parchment paper for butter packing; essential foodstuffs such as figs, dates, prunes, dried apriI cots and peaches, sago, tapioca, corn- ' flour and spices; many /essential drugs i and chemicals, also surgical and dental i instruments and materials; lines of in- , terest to the soft goods trade, includimg plain tablecloths, towels, quilts, sheets, sewing cottons, lace, ribbons, haberdashery, curtain nets, wool and cotton moquettes and linoleum; also such other important items as asphalt and bitumen, sheet glass, books and magazines and stationery. “Naturally, I am very pleased to be able to announce, so early, a licensing schedule which will greatly ease the burden for the trading community and should increase the variety of goods for the public,” said Mr Bowden. “The Import Advisory Committee has been sitting since the beginning of June hearing evidence from national associations and considering a large volume of written evidende from other organisations and business firms.

ANNOUNCEMENT WELCOMED VIEW OF RETAILERS’ FEDERATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE PRAISED (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 31. “The best news since tie establishment of import control in 1939,” said Mr G. L. Riley, secretary of the New Zealand Retailers’ Federation, commenting on the announcement of the 1951 import schedule. “The Government must be congratulated on this initial step it is taking. It is clearly indicating its intention of eventually eliminating controls to the ultimate benefit of consumer and importer alike. “Importers will be freed from tedious delays and inconveniences with a large number of items. The comprehensive range of items exempt from control is "welcome. Such items as linoleum, upholstery coverings, sewing machines, haberdashery, ribbons curtain nets, and certain other textiles come within this category. “The Retailers’ Federation believes that this is the first step, and that next year further relaxations will take place." Mr Riley said that the work of the Import Advisory Committee had more than justified the hopes of those who were keen to see such a committee established. The findings and recommendations of the committee, particularly in view of the short time it had been functioning, and the wide range of its inquiries, had amoly demonstrated the wisdom of the appointment of men with sound business acumen. The federation, said Mr Riley, was specially pleased that the Government had decided to allow imports from soft currency areas of goods still subject to control as well as those now exempt. This would bring New Zealand into line with the policy of the Vnited Kingdom and Commonwealth countries. Although imports would still be predominantly from British Commonwealth countries, this concession would enable importers to order types of merchandise not available from British sources. REMITTANCES FOR IMPORTS STATEMENT BY RESERVE BANK (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 31. The Reserve Bank of New Zealand announces that in view of the Government’s decisions on imports for 1951, certain variations have been made in the method of remitting overseas in payment for imports. Details of the new arrangements have been advised to the trading banks. These arrangements have for their objective the elimination of exchange authorities, subject to full precautions to ensure that only authorised remittances are made. “ SECONDARY INDUSTRY SAFEGUARDED ” COMMENT BY MR H. S. WILLIAMS “It is satisfactory to know that they have kept their promise and got them out so early,’’ said Mr H. S. Williams,, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce, when asked to comment last evening on the import licensing schedule released by the Minister of Customs (Mr C. M. Bowden). “Importers have been given a chance to get their orders away, Mr Williams said. “The new idea of having a calendar year is a good one. and there should not be anv complaints about it because the schedule is out so many months in advance. “It is gratifying to know that so many lines have been released, and to see that our secondary industries have been safeguarded, which is only right.” Mr Williams said there were one or two items he would have liked to see released—such things as brockery and cotton goods which, he said, were very important items. These items were, however, being given further consideration and they.might be released later. / ,