TARIFF TREATY

Evening Star, Issue 20972, 10 December 1931, Page 14

TARIFF TREATY

BELGIUM AND HEW ZEALAND FIRST FOREIGN AGREEMENT DIRECTLY NEGOTIATED [Per United Pres* Association.] WELLINGTON, December 10. A tariff treaty was concluded at Parliament House this morning between Belgium and New Zealand. The two countries have agreed to accord to one another the “ most favoured nation” treatment, and it is provided that prohibitions or restrictions on the importation or exportation of goods are not, with certain' special exceptions, to be imposed unless they are similarly imposed on tbo products of other countries. The treaty is the first to be negotiated directly by New Zealand with a foreign country under the latitude given to the British dominions in that respect by the decisions of the 1926 Imperial Conference. The only similar arrangement was entered into in 1928, when, by exchange of notes, most favoured nation treatment was mutually agreed upon between New Zealand and Japan. That agreement, Ijowever, was not in the form of a treaty. The treaty, which has been the subject of negotiations for some months past, was signed in the Prime Minister’s room at Parliament House at about 11 o’clock this morning, and is signed on behalf of the Belgian Government by the ConsulGeneral for Belgium in New Zealand, M. Armand Nibotte, and on behalf of this dominion by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Customs. The document is written both in French and English. i The tariff agreement consists of seven articles, briefly setting out the terms of the treaty. It is provided that, on certain goods, the duties both iu Belgium and New Zealand shall not be Higher than those fixed in the schedules. Goods passing in transit across the two countries are reciprocally free from all transit duties. The treaty is to be ratified by both Parliaments, and will come into force on the fifteenth day after ratification by the parties. There has been an increasing demand in the Belgian Parliament that the duty on butter under the minimum tariff should he increased. It has beexx arranged under the treaty that the maximum shall be fixed at about 7 per cent, ad valorem. The duty on fresh fruit has been reduced from 3s to Is a case. Tallow, bides, skins, greasy wool, ’ and phormium tenax entering Belgium from New Zealand are to be admitted free of duty. The duty on ( frozen lamb has, been fixed at ‘ tho equivalent of about' 11 per cent.