COMMONWEALTH AND STATE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 73, 19 December 1907, Page 7

COMMONWEALTH AND STATE

CUSTOMS POWERS. Br TBMSGEAPH—PBESS ASSOCIATION—COPtRIaHT. Melbourne, Decembor 18. • The special High Court caso to tost the validity of the action of the Now South Wales Government in removing wire-netting under tho control of tho Fedoral Customs has been postponed until March. In August the Commonwealth Government brought in its. new tariff, which increased the duty on wire netting to 30.per cent.—though the House, in response to pastoral protests, ultimately reduced it. to 10 per cent. Following on the introduction of the now tariff, the Now South Wales Government, in defiance of the Federal Customs authorities, seized a quantity of wire notting which it had imported, and which was lying on the Sydney wharves. Commenting at the time, the Sydney "Daily Telegraph" wreto:—"The question has its origin in. the persistent neglect of th'e federal Government to obtain a final settlement by judicial decision of the question whether imports by Stato Governments are taxable. The Supremo Court of Now South Wales decided that Customs duties could not be levied. Tho Federal Government hesitated to appeal, and decided to wait until the High Court was established. The policy of the Federal Government is to go to the High Court whenever it is possible. It was stated at the time that the appeal would not be carried to the Privy Council for fear of an adverse decision. This ground, however, did not exist after tho High Court was appointed. Tho Federal Government, howevor,' would not make tho appeal, arid persisted in collecting the Customs dnties, despite the continued protests from New South Wales and the other States. The duties, too, were collected in defiance of the decision of the Supremo Court of New South Wales." It is to terminate this position that the High Court is now to be appealed to. '