A DUTY ON SWEEPINGS.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1393, 20 March 1912, Page 4

A DUTY ON SWEEPINGS.

INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION PROTESTS. A deputation from tho Wellington Industrial Association recently waited upon tho lion. It.' M'Kenr.ie (Minister for Customs) to ask that the export duty upon tho sweepings of jewellers' workshops should be remitted. .Tho sweepings aro sent out of Iho country in order that the gold they contain may bo recovered. The reply eventually nuido by tho Minister was that tho duty could not l;o remitted in the present slate of tho law regarding tae export of gold. In reference to this matter Mr. Partridge, president of the association, stated, at a meeting of its general committee Inst evening, that tho gold lost by jewellers in working was estimated to be worth 10s. an ounce. In order that it might be recovered tho workshop sweepings were sent to refiners in England. In the old provincial days an export duty had been imposed 011 gold. From fcimo to tiino it Lad been increased, and it now stood, in ths North Island, at 2s. 3d. per ounca and in tho South Island at !Jd. per ounce, Tho Secretary for Customs had asked what was to prevent jewellers sending Honu gold dust with their sweepings, but tliia was absurd. Another pomt which had been raisil was that tho gold in tl'« sweepings might have been locally produced. This also was erroneous. All big manufacturers used the fovoreign for jewellery 1 work. The Minister had_ sympathised with tho request of tho jewellers, but liis filial reply was that the eighty 111011 in tho House could not amend tho iiw a.- disucd.

A member: What provonts you from shipping tho sweepings to the South Island for export? , Mr Partridge: A penalty of .£IOO, if wo do.

It was agreed after some discussion that tho association should ask tho Minister for Customs to bring in a Bill abolishing the duty on jewellers' sweepings.