PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 11, 7 October 1927, Page 12

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION

TARIFF AMENDMENT’S AGAIN DEBATED BILL IN COMMITTEE STAGE • UPPER HOUSE IN WORKING MOOD Consideration of the tariff proposals again occupied the attention of the House of Representatives yesteiday, when the committee stage of the Customs Amendment Bill was entered upon. Members debated the short title of the Bill at great length. There' were about forty speakers, and the tendency with many was to discuss items of minor or local interest and give .the questions of national moment a wide berth. New Zealand-grown lemons were the chief topic of debate. The Legislative Council was in working mood, and passed five Bills, four of which were of some importance. The House rose at 0.35 a.m., after passing the short title of the Customs Amendment Bill.

When the House went into committee on the Customs Amendment Bill it 3 p.m., members took advantage of the opportunity, in speaking on the short title, to discuss the tariff gener- , allv. . . Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) in calling attention to the position of the castiron pipes industry, expressed a hope that the revision would not be approached from the point of view of the political pressure exercised in any direction oh the Government. Mr. A. Harris (Waitemata) considered that the removal of the slight protection from corrugated sheet iron was hardly justified, and would not cheapen house-building. The change in . the linoleum duty went in the right direc-t'-Mr. T. K. Sidey (Dunedin South) said he wondered from the attitude adopted by the Department, whether their leanings were in the direction of free-trade er not. The Minister should clear the Question up. Sir John Luke (Wellington North) considered that additional protection on iron pipes would only add to the cost and impose further liabilities on gas companies and local bodies. Mr." H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch East.) said the tariff 'proposals were apparently not going to satisfy any section. The timber dutv would not diminish the quantity imported. Mr. N. H. Potter (Roskill) considered the duty on bottles should be 20 and 40 per cent, all round. The local industrv was making a start, and paying wages of over £21,000 annually. Protection for Infant Industries. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) said that protection must be given to all infant industries until they got beyond the squalling stage. He supported the proposal for a Tariff Board. The duty on dressed timber should be raised to the skies, and made prohibitive. He regretted that British motor chassis were not to be duty free in order to encourage local body-building. The Minister had done good work in the tariff, and had not been obstinate or pig-headed. Members could not hope, to discuss one- ■ thousandth part of the items. Mr R. P. Hudson (Motueka) renewed his appeal to the Government to give consideration to facilitating the production of Onakaka pig iron. The product was suffering through the operations of a big Indian company, which enjoyed the benefits of low pioduction costs. He hoped the Government would place upon foreign pig iron such an import duty that the position of the New Zealand product would be made secure. The local manufacturers, who were prepared to meet the full requirements of the Dominion, would not take advantage of their protection by exploiting the .public.. lhe Government of the United Kingdom had shown its appreciation of Onakaka iron by agreeing to take 91 tons a month this year as compared with a total purchase of . 201. tons for the whole of last year. . “Sir Joseph Ward (Invercargill) complained of the prohibitive duty on lemons, which were not grown in any quantity in the Dominion, but were in great demand. He was afraid that the boot, industry was not able to put an article on the local market at a. reasonable price through lack of facilities for development. Mr. W. J. Jordan (Manukau) said that if the bottle-making industry could reach a good output there was no reason why the price .should increase. He was, therefore, ..disappointed that the duty was not a little higher. Mr. F. Waite (Clutha) claimed that there should be increased protection for New Zealand-coal and timber, -particularly dressed. Dairy machinery that could be manufactured within the Umpire should be' assisted, but where foreign countries only could supply the local demand, then the farmers stood for open competition. They thought the present • revision of the tariff was ou general lines in the right direction; they were not freetraders, but moderate protectionists. Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Avon) held that it was essential to the progress of the farming community that the margin between imports and exports should be widened, in order to bring about a favourable trade balance. He opposed the increased duty on lemons. Mr. H. Atmore (Nelson) said the Government should make a pronouncement that they were not going to allow the Onakaka ironworks to be squeezed out. If the Indian concern could squeeze the local company out then the local ironfounders would have to pay a high price for the pig iron. Mr. C. E. Macmillan (Tauranga) put in a plea for the development of the local growing of lemons in the interests of soldiers who in some places had taken up small agricultural holdings. Mr E. P. Lee (Oamarti) complained that the opportunity to discuss general tariff policy on the second reading of the Bill had been curtailed by the Government. Mr W D. Lysnar (Gisborne) commended the tariff proposals regarding lemons. The local supply could meet all the . Dominion’s requirements, and in his district lemons were going to waste for want of a market. He supported the British preference in the case of wire, and wire netting, which were superior to the imports from America and other foreign countries. British Preference. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland) said New Zealand could produce lemons equal to any under the sun. If the New Zealand growers could produce all the lemons required, they should be granted adequate protection. If not. the tariff should be adjusted. Referring to the British preference, Mr. Holland said they should • be certain that goods coming in and so benefiting were actually of British manufacture. The Prime Minister said the British preferential tariff only applied if 50 per cent, of a manufactured article were British made, but an important point for consideration was, whether the preference should be raised to 75 per cent lie had little hesitation in declaring that

citrus fruits, including lemons, Had become a flourishing and staple industry in New Zealand, and a great assistance to iTie men on the land. In five years the production of local lemons had doubled. The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoi) regretted that a special duty had not been placed on the lower grade woollen products as recommended, because _ then the industry could have done without the 5 per cent, increase generally. The Postmaster-General (Hon. W. Nosworthy) agreed that the difficulty regarding lemons might be overcome by making the duty 2d. a lb. for six months and Id. for the remaining six months. If the industry could not then make headway they should let it go. Mr A. Lee (Auckland East), said it was extraordinary to find opposition to fair protection for the Dominion’s citrus fruit industry. They should be “patriotic” to their own'primary producers rather than to Mussolini. Tlie Minister of Agriculture (Hon. O. J. Hawken) said he had found that the lemon growers were rapidly reaching the stage when they could supply the requirements of the Dominion. The Dominion’s best quality lemons were as good as the Californian product. Mr. A. M. Samuel (Ohinemuri) thanked the Minister for the duty he had placed on lemons. The New Zealand grower needed every encouragement, because lemon-growing was going to be a great industry Mr. H. M. Campbell (Hawke’s Bay) put in a plea for British cars. He would like to see the duty on British chassis reduced from 10 per cent, to 5 per cent. That' would help the British manufacturer and the local body builder. He was assured that British cream separators were equal to the Swedish, and he would like to see the duty decreased on the British machines or increased on the foreign machines. i Mr. H. S. S. Kyle (Riccarton) said that every encouragement should • be given to "the motor-body building industry. He thought the duty on British chassis should be either abolished or reduced. Mr. C. E. Bellringer (Taranaki) said the Minister was to be congratulated on the way in which the tariff met the general needs of the Dominion. Mr. T. Forsvth (Wellington East) said that unless adequate protection were given to the boot and shoe industry, some of the plants would have to close down entirely. Sir George Hunter (Waipawa) supported the principle of British preference, and hoped that special consideration would be given to British cream separators. . ...... Mr. J. R. Hamilton (Awarua) said that £35,000 worth of oats were imported last year into New Zealand for the sole purpose of bringing down the price of the local oats, which should be protected against that sort of thing. Mr. J S. Diqkson (Parnell) congratulated the Minister on not granting increased protection to the woollen industry, which, he considered should put its house in order first. The short title was passed at 10.25 a.m. Progress was reported and the House rose at. 0.30. EDUCATION BOARDS REPORT OF INQUIRY WANTED. An echo of the appointment of a committee of the Reform Party to consider the question of abolishing education boards was heard in .the House yesterday, when Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganui) gave notice to ask the Prime Minister whether the committee had finalised its report, and, if so, would . the report, together with the evidence, be circulated among members of the House irrespective of party. LAND AGENTS’ RECEIPTS The concern that was caused land agents throughout the Dominion last week by the non-arrival of the Government receipt forms, the use of which it was intended to make compulsory from October 1, was mentioned in the House of Representatives yesterday. Mr. W. E. Parry (Auckland Central) gave notice to ask the acting-Minister I of Internal Affairs (Sir Maui Pomare) 1 why his Department issued the regulaI tions making it mandatory for land | agents to use only the Government re- . ceipt forms in the conduct of their operations, and why the enforcement j of the regulations was postponed from October 1 until April of next year. NEW GOVERNMENT BILLS 9 Three new Government Bills, which will be introduced to-day, were given notice of in the House of Representatives yesterday. They are :— Introduction of Plants Bill. Mining Amendment Bill. Guardianship of Infants Amendment Bill. The Statutes Revision Committee recommended to the House yesterday that as the subject matter or Mr. H. G. R. Mason’s Juries <\mendnient Bill (No. 2), with the exception of one clause, was not appropriate as an amendment of the Juries Act, the measure be not allowed to proceed in its present form. The report was adopted.