A CUSTOMS ANOMALY

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 36, 6 November 1917, Page 6

A CUSTOMS ANOMALY

BRITISH EXPORTER HANDICAPPED. Under Section 114 of tho Customs Act duty is payable not on the invoico value of goods, but on the value "when sold for home consumption in tho ordinary course of business in tho country whenqe exported at the timo ivhon exported." This provision of the New Zealand law v has created a great deal of difficulty, particularly with respect to goods imported from Great Britain, where prices may have jumped after the,poods were consigned to ports by the British _ exporters and while goods were awaiting shipment. • Another matter that has attracted the Attention of importers in this country Iβ the effect of the retention of a New Zealand Government expert in London to check Home consumption values. Jms expert, records every rise in values in the United Kingdom, and tho duty at this end rises accordingly, but there ia no such representative of the Now-Zea-land Government in the United States or Japan, where similar rises in vnluee have, taken place. The British exporter consequently is liable to be handicapped in competition with his American and Japanese rivals in the trade of this country under war conditions. Th'e 'council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce considered Ihose matters at a meeting yesterday, and l<art Wore it a letter on the subject fiom the British Airents' Association. The council decided to ask a sub-committee to investigate and report.