Fixed Period of Customs Duties.

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 45, 21 August 1931, Page 6

Fixed Period of Customs Duties.

The proposal in tho Budget to impose certain Customs duties for a fixed period was opposed by the council of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce on .Tuesday. The council held the view that it was preferable that such duties be not restricted to any term, but when tho lifting of duties—moro especially where tiio alteration was of major degree—was considered, at least six months' notice should be given so that merchants and others would bo better ablo to adjust their stocks; Eastbourne Supports Transport BUI. The Eastbourne Borough Council last night passed a resolution strongly supporting tho Transport Bill at present boforo Parliament. The Town Clerk (Mr. C. L. Bishop), was complimented on tho evidence given by him in support of the Bill beforo the Parliamentary Committee. ... Unprofitable Tolophones. The-* request of tho •Eastbourne Borough Council for a telephone box'to be installed at tho southern* end of bourne was refused byr the. Secretary of the Post Office in a letter which came before the council meeting last night. Tho secretary stated that tho existing public call facilities at Eastbourne-were being operated at a loss to the Department. The council decided to ask for a reconsideration of tho- request. Shoaling at Eastbourne; In his report to the meeting of the Eastbourne Borough Council last night, tho senior master (Captain J. Gower) said that soundings taken recently at tho Day's Bay and Eona Bay wharves and of the route used by the Muritai arid the Cobar • between the wharves showed a general shoaling since the taking of the last soundings in 1929. A report informing -' the council of any outstanding changes would be presented later. ■". ' ...• : , , Telephone Subscribers. , ; The statement made recently that several • thousand subscribers had discontinued their use of the telephone and thafc therefore the Department should reduce tho rates, had some light thrown on it yesterday when the Post and Telegraph Department quoted figures for the last quarter available. These showed that, although/there had been a large number of relinquistiments, on the other hand there; had been a large numbor of new subscribers. Hence there were only 300 fewer telephones in use throughout the Dominion than was the case in. the preceding quarter. "Compound Interest." . "That is pretty good compound interest," said Mr. K. O. Dixon at the meeting of the Waiinakariri Biver Trust when a letter was received from the Minister of Defcnco (the Hon. J.;G. Cobbe) stating that if the trust wanted the use of '■ the Department's' cooking utensils in its camps after the end of the present month they would have to bo hired at the rate of 5 per cent, of cost for the first week and 2i per cent, for each succeeding -week (reports the "Christchurch. Times"). The engineer (Mr. H. W. Harris) pointed out that the utensils would not be needed after that period and the matter was dropped." • ■