THE BUDGET.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 662, 12 November 1909, Page 5

THE BUDGET.

THE INCREASES IN DUTIES. SOME TRADE OPINIONS. From inquiries made among soft-goods importers the increase in" duties'will fall, hot'on the importer, but on the ■ consumer. Xα additional : 1 _ per cent, will be added !to the buying commission, , and this increase' will oimply mean a readjustment of charges, k> that the importer will be recouped by the retail rhironaser. "The change will make a aonsidtrable difference," said'the head' -jf a'.'Urge soft-goods shop, "but the consumer will have to bear jthe brunt of it, and the, chances: are that'the increase will work out'at hearer 2 per oent than 1 per cent., as-the trader .will not work the increase out to a. fraction; but whatever it js the retail buyer will have to make it up:" ' ■■'- ■.-■'. .'..■•'■ ■ Mr./A. Veitch, of Messrs. Veitch. and Allan, had not time to go into the question when he was seen by. a. representative of Tee Dominion, but he was quite positive that the trader cotiH not afford : to pay the 1 per cent, himself, and consequently the consumer would have to pay the additional oharge, and ' perhaps . a little more than the trader, had to. pay. The additional 1 per cent, added so much to 'the cost of the. goods, arid the trader had'to-get his profit on the whole cost. Generally speaking, the increase did , not matter much to the merchant, but it did to the consumer. The people handling proprietary lines would undoubtedly suffer most. ■ • ■'■ ■• ■-' -•' ■ ■ The Ironmongery Tradi. .'"lt is .-an irritating and harassing tax for." all that it ■is going to relieve the Government," .was the opinion expressed by the head of a local ironmongery firm. The extra.! per cent- was, ■ the : speaker predicted, going to lead.to a'considerable amount of vexation for business people. It was a petty thing.in its way, and would ■ not' warrant any ."definite increase, in prices,' but it would work out in course of time that the .increase must come out of the pockets of the consumer. A somewhat .similar primage duty was enforced in the time of the Atkinson Ministry, 'but' in that case the 1 per cent' had , to be paid on' free goods also. ■ . '■ ■ •'■■■-., .■''.■■■■ , : -. ■■"".• Groceries. '■..■'■'■•■'■ ''>','■:'::. ■ Inquiries made in the grocery trade! went to show that,'although the increaie was only a! email one, competition was so keen nowadays as to render it quite impossible for the retailer .to think o£ carrying the increase, which it was expected the wholesale dealers wou d hand on to him. Consequently there would- he a readjustment'of prices, and the public would.have, to pay a little extra,■ probably, only on particular lines. As long as ■. the. present etocks-held, there would probably I be- no change, but -the consumer must «'pay eventually.'. . -■■.•■ ' . ' :, ... ■r .' 'The General Opinion. ■ The general.opinion was, that the trader would not suffer as. a result of the increase. In' the first place, the importer would pay the additional 1 per: cent, and charge the retailer, who in-turn,would readjust his prices and so take a little extra, from the public pocket. The only l case in'which the retailers will suffer any' hardship appears to bo in dealing with what are termed. "proprietary" ■ lines. ■ For instance! in. a chemist's', shop a number of the proprietary, linesi such as. well-known soaps, etc.,; are quoted at a certain price, .and that price is well known to the public, and in some cases a stipulation is nrnde by. the maker, that the goods must bo sold at a certain price. .' :' ; ■ V ' : The.Day's; Prlmags.' ) ■•■' .-.': The'total amount of primage collected by the Customs Department during the day-amounted to £33-17s. W.-r ■ .'\ ■. /