PRICE OF IMPORTS

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30369, 19 February 1964, Page 5

PRICE OF IMPORTS

Condition Stopped

There were a few cases some time ago where import licences were made conditional on a price comparable with imported goods being fixed for the locally produced, said the Minister of Industries and Commerce (Mr Marshall) in a letter to the New Zealand Manufacturers’ Federation, tabled at the monthly meeting of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association on Monday evening. “When this was brought to my notice, I gave instructions for the practice to be discontinued,” said Mr Marshall.

It was not practicable, he said, to fix any automatic level of protection. As the report of the Tariff and Development Board put it, the extent to which industry must be protected could be determined only by an examination of all the facts in each individual Case. The statement, said Mr Marshall, that each case had to be dealt with on its merits was properly to be interpreted in the light of the precedents which had been established. In this connexion, the best guide was the Customs Tariff, 1961, which was based on the report of the original Board’ of Trade and which the Government revised with great care and thoroughness before adopting it.

“I am well . aware that under present balance of payments conditions, import licensing is in many cases operating as a protection for’ some industries,” said Mr Marshall.

“I do not know how long this will continue but I cannot at present see an end to it for some industries. “The Government does however, recognise that in those cases where import licensing may be removed an adequate protective tariff must first be provided. This is set out in our policy statement, which is the same as for our 1960 policy statement.”