PORT OF GISBORNE

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 11325, 1 October 1930, Page 2

PORT OF GISBORNE

REVENUE RETURNS

BIG DROP IN CUSTOMS. .

EXCEPTIONAL FACTORS, (;■ . . •. ' : • ... )

Though th'e custom's revenue ' col-. looted at (lie port of Gishonie duiv, ing the month ended "yesterday "'lloG.'. ailed less’ than'half the amount c.o!- ’ leeted in September, ;1929, tin? tailing off 'is very' much more apparent than real and is due to some exceptional factors. The actual decrease : is £3524, the figures for last month being £2936 against’£646ol in the same month last year. One of the hiaiii i'actoFs leading to tlio decrease, is. of course, . the prevailing financial stringency, but,mere are also other' contributing in linerices. Quo of |tlio leading tobacco pro-' prietarics, for instance, has estabr. lished a system of discounts wJueli allows Of concessions only on 1 lutypaid goods,. The .. result oi. this .is that all of the lirin’s output-conning , into the., town .has already paid duty' at tlie port, whore it'landed in the Dominion." New Zealand obtains the benefit of the duty,, of course, but tlio Gisborne figures are substantially reduced in consequence. Another point is that, in view, of the expected i.n,crease in cost,- many local, retailers : Obtained extra supplies of articles, during the montlr before last; -thus eonsiderahly curtailing their September requirements. A' .large"shipment of dutiable .-goods which arrived last month has not yet been ..uplifted, which .means', that-, actually, the customs figures’ .should, have been cmisiderably larger than they are. .Or? tainly this will go to increase the total, revenue for the current month, but it means' that a, false figure was given for .September. .’, For tlie' six-monthfy period ended yesterday, flic customs revenue shows, a decrease of £690/. of- - which over* half is.aiecmmted for by last month s falling-off.. , „ ' The detailed figures for last month, with those for September, 1929, given in parentheses, are as follows: —Bus-, toms £2936 ss. od. (£646.0 9s lOd); beer duty £774. 8s IQd (£778 14s-Bd. lor the six. months ended,yesterday they are: Customs £31.170 0s 4d (£H8:»

14s Sd); beer duty £4093 13s Id (£4147. IGs 7d).