PREFERENTIAL TARIFF.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 161, 1 April 1908, Page 11

PREFERENTIAL TARIFF.

BRITISH AND FOREIGN GOODS, ■ VIEWS OF ■.■AUCKLANI)vMERCHANTS. i.. • Mihough tlie : at goods, • : it '/Sppcars; vfrfi'm^inquiries : .made by ~a . vHe^ald./''r'rcpresen'tativibi",that, ; in niany in-, ; 'stances/this'.-wili--not.prove to''be the case, as many of tho items upon which tho cxnn 'f duty? is 'placed' ard' not and cannot' be menu-., y' /, facfercd j'iih;. England, and,', if .'.they,, are, can1-. hot' ;b o v \6bt ft in e d liora atthc 'sainGpriccas tho^v-fo'reign ' .the extra duty. Ono of those scon,lifts a largo; importer. of groceries, etc., and he stated ; y thai ' tho' principal .lines in ~wliich.- . affected by ; the new' tariff wero . safety'and was. matches;' tinned milk, .cocoa, ■ American canrted" Vruit,' and - ?st», matches ;wa? 6d. pfer jfross, .whichwns .really prohibitive, arid moant.tKat, • for the' futurevlv[cw Zoaland would.havo to depend 6n tlie loealb-pianufactured nrticlo. " 'cKis applies ■ -particularly.- -to safety . matchoS;Hi ho continued. " These arc mamifactiifed in England'on. a .very.minor.,scale, -and- so wa.'cannot draw. our future. supplies '. from there.': Such being'the-case,' thcy-.mus u .''either-bo manufactured here or.imported, as <: ! hithfeVtoj'- from .which, 1 CliSe 'the-public will' have to'pay more lor --Asked if Any/provision'had been jmado^foi • imm<sdiate : rfequireme»ts,.ho replied, " ics. .vlo,ooD"gross- were landed, by the, Stai or SccStlana. - ahd' these, : with other.-supplies in ■ ; \han4,^^ul3:ias^:t^r';.. • Regarding tinned]milkv.the,samo, i nerclianu pointed/out;-that thp, extra duty invphed '. hero''on"foroign'makes was 7d. per dozon, ? any • was in failed-iito-soo. ho<-this, noulcl. benefit • thovmanufactureis at, home. .i: , ■'-■ in y Cocoa- theoxtra penalty ..imposed .on, was. three-fifths , of, a v penny- which > also, in .Jiis opinion, i' would-make ;littlg or no;differencelif; favour ,' v > ;of particle? , 'vc'■' -^' V. : Ari6 ( tlief,j: gentleman,' apprbaphed " was ...the--of.,a' .large importing warehouse, ■ who ■ sta ted .' that Mis was unablo; .to, see „• how eitheri. :the' .'British ; manufacturer or..the icqlphiali consumer';';;.fraß. : ;.goinß..:to\;MiKnt. to ' any* material extent under the preferential tariff; -'Many ; of tho .'items, included in it were not' manufactuied in England at all, . Bn'd>the'.c6lonial' .cpus\imar had -only, fo'pay mere fof thsm - / i V,'''"T6r^instinceV' ; 'there :i 'is I 'theveheanipipe; which we call working-man's.' We will '.; ■ i ; '6ti\lcSntiripofo;g^t'Sthem' ,7rqm\-Germany;-; ,i' ■-'■'.;•■•although,.-there-is, lp'per cent.. • ) intelved, tho reason being: that the cheap pipe -is not .manufactured in England. Of .. ,v -shall ■ Have to put •,'iip: j the prices accordingly, and Laid -afraid that the work: ■'■■•'' ing-man; will •■-never - i: liis present -.shilling vV; : pip^'?;fot , f a agaiii. V. It s; V -V' r';n^fii'itiJoiicKes. Vijj-y - : •• 'A leading- soft.goods•■ warehouseman stated that O.soaps;<; twine,: and . brushware were the. only Klines -ln.his'.'business affected .-by-.-,the i ■ ■' alteration. i '>'>

"In- not.ono of'th6se cases will the prt . ' ferential ,duty.' havo .\t-he . efrefci; ofc divertinj the trado'to Great Britain,", ho said , ■ - '/Tak , ■ !-brushware,'r./for,'i. instance; particularly tin ■: clasd-brought uttder 1 the- preferential tariff X; Thel'icheap caniiqt*ib'e:%ide in .tht , co'oiiies, and they are riot made' in England ■i-. so:.we*'have 'to. go 1 " abroad- for them: ./Loca painters will, instha future. have to>pay.Bs.;6d., for the same'brush:,that-.the 1 ? .} formerly j.paid' > sS^ : 6d;'.ifoiy i}T)ie. i worljing-ifian .is pay,,tho difference.'. Thi3 duty, at simply'a rcvenue-producing one: Therf;,agam, tho pipe trade is almost entirclv ■. in the hands of a few French .firms, '.and ;■ vj; very^'few,recognised'standard makes'Vor; pipe's come;.from', Englafid. So, far as we can: tell '• .! in, our;.'trade the' last preferential alterations V.will 'iibt,benefit;cither the consumer 'or the. Engli6h;:flioduoer/i':a/J,'l)(i nricaiftojj/hq. im- • ' bs Tfibfe! and'lcoriJecraenfcly: the. ',-artiolcs:w}llreacbIth6"pub]ic,ata;'liigher1th6"pub]ic , ata ; 'liigher irate./ AVhere aV is being 'equally well ,"v'. .prodiiced;",:iri there t is no 'doubt-that a -preferential tanlf ':*v: will2,'b'd; 'in c'Wjig Tas ;'si , whbid,,'butfwliere. a high tax iSvp]jced,:on 'i( goods ; that-; are, only^manufactured ; in' foreign: /r-markets'viaiid .''caririot ; -be - produced. I po'mmion, nof are. likely to bo manufactured ■ in : Great'Britain,- the'Jonly. possible result:'is a heavier, charge :to tbo; taxpayer ,oi thiv lm-' Vportaticm .'of 'aninferior.' article 7 , to meet.! a fixed pri.ee " ' .3ii\. Robert Burns, of John Burns and C 0.,v I<td.'; ; stated jthat.jthe.ila.tek'alteration in.the' : preferential. 'tariff 'torehtirelyi'ehut- : .0ut,411 ba£^ron;fsuch;as girders; .steel .plates,. • .'i^ak'Ke^^ail^c/a':;; considerable.-' quantity r.of'J wh:oh used to be imported from America.and ■■ >. The .preferential duty c 'of' practi-1 I.cijly22f, ! .per .cent.,, on, bar ordn will mean ..." that- the:manufactured articles, will in-• tho' 1 • ' 1 : future .come from■ Great. Britain, as: they an yi ■ .»- -nptviinanufactured in th?, Dominion.- |Gold . - mining machinery; onwhich a preferential:] duty:. of 10 1 per - cent, has been placed, can- ■ iwrt be obtaincd.m Great Britain, it is' stated. It.; nearly ..'all comer, from -America.' Such , i , -lines! is handles; and " carriage woodwork,.'on. which a ;20 per cent.. ad valorem; duty, h.ia boen?-placed; .cannot, ' it is 'affirmed, .bG:Obtained'frAm Great Britain af'all. '■!>-ix

(BT .IKI.EGIurU—SrECIAI. ; COItRESrONTiENT ' v -r ' Dunedin, March'3l. tho new preferential duties will probably mean -an increase in /the price -of • many-'.articloS,-- an immediate' increase • in' Dniiedin ■ is no,t■. expected.;' For the .[past six' monthsiihpbrtcrS'have.swelled .tlicir,stScksj and there is corn in Egypt.",; Tho-visits'of oversoav steamers i with': Jargoi'. cargoes' forDuncdin havo been 'frequent for a long-time} ' ancl.Mt. is estimated by competent' calculators' .lhat-itho. -local merchant!; hold largo stocks which will-servoithem,for. many months. ''