THE NEW TARIFF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 33, 2 November 1907, Page 7

THE NEW TARIFF.

"FREE BREAKFAST TABLE." A MOCKERY. ,Tlie citizens of the Dominion, thoso at least who did their shopping yesterday, will taste, this morning tbojoya of the "free breakfast tnblc," on which they havo ~ so long .fed in anticipation. Thoso portions of the new tariff which wore intended to confer this boon came into operation yesterday. The duties ware abolished, as from that day, on sugar, treacle,, bicarbonate of soda, croain-pf-tnftar, dried fruits, cornflour, and othor food commodities, and thero was no reason—so a representative :of thia papor was assured by wholesale and retail -firms—why th« public should not receive the entire banefit of,the change without a day's delay. Those have been ill-treated or have themselves to blame who do not eat this morning their first "free breakfast." " ' . ' Yet, alas! " Man .never is, but always to be blest." It is sadly to bo feared that .this "froe" meal may be quite expensive. What does.it profit a man if he gain a rebate of one halfponnj' a pound on sugar, and pay a hoavy price for porridge? The price of oatmeal has been raised of .late from £16 to £18 a ton, and a very little sugsr goes to a good deal of oatmeal. It is. huie comfort that the price of dried fruits may have fallen 2d. a' pound, if potatoes in a few short weeks have risen from £4 to £S 10s. a ton, as lias been the casp iVWellingtoiv. The citizen who reflects on the price of Hour, raised from £11 15s. to £15 a ton, and that of onions, raised in a short time from £7 to £1G 10s., will eat his first "free" breakfast'sadly.

The following aro the principal food products that have been made free of duty, as from yesterday:—Sugar, treacle and molassas (former'duty Jd;'a lb.), bicarbonate of sadn (formerly Is. a cwt.), dried fruits, spices, and' mustard (formerly 2d. a lb.), Eisizotia and cornflower (formerly Jd. a lb.), Other articles which became free of duty yesterday are:—Foreign well-papers (formerly 15 per cent.), olive oil in bulk (formerly 6d. a gallon), gfass plates (formerly 20 per cent.), shoet load (formerly Is. 6rl a cwt.), and sporting powder (formerly 6d. a lb.). On tho other hand, the duty has been mcroMcd on imported boots, as from October .81. Formerly one duty was imposed of 22 J per cont. ad valorem. Now there is a duty of 15 per cent, ad valorom, find an additional duty per pair amounting to Is. Ctl. in tho case of men's boots, Is. for women's and boys, (id. for girls, and 6d. for slippers. Tho change represents a total increase in tho duty on cheap boots of 100 per cont. Changes in the duty on cotton nnd linon piece goods will not come into force unti , December 31. At present these goods como tinder three scales, some boing free, and others dutiable to tho amount of 10 per cent., nnd 20 por cent. Next year they will all be free. [by telegraph.— rijnss association.] Christchurch, November 1. Thero has been a rush to clear goods through the Customs to-day as tho result of the coining into force of the new tariff. Stocks in the articles affected bad been allowed to become low until the date when, they could be cleared at a roduccd duty, and, consequently, there was an accumulation of 'uncleared sugar, dried fruits, and so on. Work to-day has been hoavy, but it has been woll coped with by tho officials of the Customs Department.