TRADE WITH GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 18252, 17 April 1923, Page 3

TRADE WITH GERMANY

THE CUSTOMS PROPOSALS. BUSINESS MEN’S VIEWS. The Chamber of Commerce had before it last night a file of corrcspondon,"?. from the Customs Department regarding the Governments proposals for the control of trade wiiii Germany and Austria after September-1. f Ihc goods to be subjected to depreciated curhmcy duty include firearms, hats, paper, pianos, rubber goods, glass and glassware, roofing material, fancy goods, various forms of iron, rails, bicycles, and motors. lu a circular accompanying the documents and announcing the department’s intentions, tho Comptroller invited the chamber’s comment on the proposals. The matter was dealt with by the chamber’s Imports Committee in the following report, which was adopted

“ The committee recommends that the council express appreciation of the action of the Comptroller of Customs in referring tho matter to tho chambers of commerce for consideration, and submits tho following comments and suggestions, viz ; “ Tho committee disapproves of the principle of depreciated currency duly, which is complicated and uncertain (referred to laborj.

“ ’That no alteration of the tariff under regulation should be made without first giving three months’ notice bv advertisement in the ‘Gazette,’ in order that the general public, which will be affected, may liavo opportunity to make representar tions.

11 The committee strongly approves of the principle that traders should know before importation tho duties which are likely to be charged on their goods on arrival. " Provision should bo made that merchants who have bona fide ordered goods prior to the notice of increase should bo entitled to enter them at the old rate. Tho importer to satisfy the Collector as to the order for tho goods having been so despatched. “ Tho Comptroller invites suggestions as to the rate of depreciated currency duty, and the committee recommends that all duties should be levied on tho price, in sterling, paid for the goods, and if the preferential tariff at present in existence is found insufficient to protect British industries, that such preference should be increased There is reason to believe that sonio British manufacturers take advantage of the existing protection to charge more for goods exported to the dominion than for goods sold for Home consumption. “ The committee understands that Germany has established an ‘ Export Trade Department,’ with power to issue regulations to control minimum export prices fixed in the currency of country of import. It seems commercially reasonable to assume that in tho vast majority of instances these' lixed prices will not be less than world’s market value. If duty be assessed upon this export value there should be no necessity for any further duty on account of depreciated currency, from which latter Germany is not likely to permit its foreign buyers to benefit.