IMPORTATION OF U.S. GRADERS

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26971, 21 February 1953, Page 2

IMPORTATION OF U.S. GRADERS

ALLEGED BREACHES OF REGULATIONS

COMPANY DENIES TWO CHARGES

(New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, Feb. 20. Two charges of importing American crawler graders, contrary to the import control regulations, were denied by Gough, Gough, and Hamer, Ltd., a Christchurch importing company, in the Magistrate’s Court at Auckland today.

Mr Rosen appeared for the Crown, and Sir Wilfrid Sim, Q.C., for the defendant company. Mr F. McCarthy, S.M., was on the Bench. In evidence, N. F. Lee, secretary of the Tractor and Grader Allocation Committee, said his committee had been set up by the Government to assess the minimum equipment required by the Dominion in the face of dollar shortages in 1952. The defendant company applied to him for licences to import six graders not covered by 1952 licences. His committee recommended to the Board of Trade tnat the application be refused, and this course was followed. In a further interview with directors of the defendant company, said witness, he was told that the graders had been cleared by the customs authorities at Auckland, and could be allocated by his committee. The committee allocated the graders to local body work. Sir Wilfrid Sim said the graders had been dispatched from the United States without the defendant company’s authority. The company made a practice of forwarding suspensory orders to the Caterpillar Tractor Company, but only on the strict understanding that dispatch was to be held up until licences had been allocated in New Zealand. On this occasion, however, the graders had been dispatched without the allocations being made, andthe company had been placed in an embarrassing position through no fault of its own.

Counsel said the company’s directors approached Mr Lee and explained the position. They were assured of his help. Because of this, they did not arrange for the graders to be returned to the United States.

All that had occurred in bringing the graders into the country was that 1951 industrial tractor licences had been switched to cover the 1952 imports, said Sir Wilfrid Sim. Mr Lee’s assurance to go ahead with the importation of the graders had been endorsed by the Customs Department in writing off the cost of the graders against the 1951 licences. The switch in licences was in conformity with departmental practice. The case will be continued on Monday.