AUSTRALIA’S DIFFICULTIES

Evening Star, Issue 20672, 20 December 1930, Page 17

AUSTRALIA’S DIFFICULTIES

THE WHEAT GUARANTEE TRADE AT A STANDSTILL frew Association—By Telegraph —Copyright. SYDNEY, December 19. Wheat buyers and shippers declare that the Wheat Advances Act, which has just been passed by the Federal Parliament, has left them in a dilemma and the trade at a standstill. The guarantee has been fixed at 3s a bushel,' f.0.b., and the fact is that the Commonwealth Bank has declined to advance more than 2s 6d, Merchants want to know who will be responsible for the deficiency. Moreover, it is pointed out that the Government has not protected itself against inefficiency, wastefulness, and indifferent marketing, consequently merchants fear chaos (and are making no arrangements for pversea freight. THE SHEEPSKIN DUTY EFFECT ON SALES, MELBOURNE, December 19. The sheepskin sales, which were postponed from Thursday owing to the sudden imposition of the halfpenny export duty, , were held to-day at the wool exchange. Two catalogues were submitted and buyers offered a halfpenny less than last week, and the entire offerings were withdrawn. As a result of the failure of the sales Shore will be no .more until January.

FRENCH RETALIATION SYDNEY, December 19. The French Consul has cabled to jfche French Government urging it to impose a special duty on Australian scoured wool as a retaliatory measure. THE SUGAR EMBARGO COMMITTEE INVESTIGATING. MELBOURNE, December 19. Pending the receipt of the report of the committee which is investigating the effect of the sugar embargo, *the Federal Government, will take no action to cancel the embargo, against trhich there is already a considerable •volume of evidence. The Assistant Minister of Markets stated that the present agreement was likely to bo renewed for a limited period of years oh condition that there was a considerable reduction in the price of sugar to consumers. TAXES IN VICTORIA BILL PASSED BY ASSEMBLY. 7 : Dccei|bgi; 19. ; The" parties comprOniisetl f oii ■ the 1 differences over .the Unemployment Relief Amendment Bill, which passed the Assembly. The maximum tax on incomes of £2,000 or over will be 3J per cent, t The stamp tax on wages was increased from Id to 4d in the £. POSITION IN QUEENSLAND THE THRIFT CHECKED. BRISBANE, December 20. ■(Received December'2o, at 10.5 a.m.) The Premier (Mr Moore), referring to the Trading Banks’ statement regarding the 'financial position, .declared that he felt that so far as Queensland wa« concerned the 1 drift had been ; checked, and in view of the economies effected Queensland was in a better position the .difficulties ahead than some of the State Governments. Queensland had arrived at the stage where the position was improving. RATIONING OF WORK jjEW SOUTH WALES PROPOSALS. SYDNEY, December, 20. (Received December 20, at ,10.5 a.m.) The announcement that from 5,000 . to 6,000 retail employees will have to * hd dismissed if the anti-rationing clause of the Forty-four-hour Bill became operative was made by the Retail Traders’ Association. The Minister of Labour and Industry (Mr Baddeley) receives a deputation from the association on Monday, when strong representations will he made against the Government’s proposals.