THE TARIFF

Grey River Argus, 23 August 1934, Page 5

THE TARIFF

N.Z. MANUFACTURERS MORE HOPEFUL After Readjustments (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, August 22. General satisfaction with the readjustments to the tariff proposed in the Customs Bill is expressed by tobacconists, tobacco-growers, and manufacturers of electric appliances and nails. It is considered by the make;s of electrical stoves and of mi ls ', ha', their industries have been saved by the alterations in the tariff rates. The New Zealand manufacturers of cigarette papers are pleased that they wi'l now have to i ace the competition of only British manufacturers. As these papers have to be han 1 packed, cheap labour of foreign countiies is a great advantage. Tobacconists state that the revised tobacco duties will be more favouraide to the New Zealand grower than those originally proposed, owing to the increase in the duty on tobacco for the manufacture of cigarettes from 2/6 to ?>/- per lb. This would he a great help to New Zealand growers, and to the New Zealand tobacco industry generally, which in the last year had shown rcmarkab.e growth. Ft is now believed that New Zea-land-made electric ranges will be able to get a share of the market in competition with imported ranges.

The decision to maintain the existing duties on nails for two years longer is approved bv the representative of one of the only two nail manufacturing firms in the Dominion. He hoped that, if the duties were lifted at the end of two years, the industry should be able to carry on against overseas competition.

Minister’s Explanation NEW INFORMATION. CAUSES ALTERATIONS WELLINGTON, Augu.-t 22. Introducing the Customs Amendment resolutions, the Minister of Customs, Mr Coates, said: “It will be remembered that when [ introduced the Resolutions On 10th July. I stated that It was proposed to afford those affected the opportunity of making representations concerning any items. A large number of such representations have been made. Many inquiries have, as a result, been instituted, and much important information has been received. The Government now propose to make certain alterations in the schedules. These are set out in the amending re solutions now before the House. Mem bers will recollect that, when I dealt with the original resolutions, I stated that the recommendations of th e (Commission were generally accepted as the basis of the Government’s decisions These recommendaltions were, of course, made on the information available to that tribunal, and, as is stated in its report, representations were not made with respect to certain important items. It is obvious, therefore that, if additional particulars are received which throw a different light on the matters, 'the whol e problem must be reviewed.' Notwithstanding this, a number of industries failed to present their cases to the Commission. It has been urged that, in such cases, their representations should not now be considered by the Government. My view, how. ever, is that the Government must have regard to the welfare of the community as a whole. There are, apart from the proprietors of the industries, many others vitally interested therein, and it would not be right that, merely because the necessary steps were not taken, the interests of the employees and of others affected shouM be jeopardised. In addition to the cases in which no evidence was supplied 'to the Commission, there were others in which further information to that submitted has come to hand since the report was made. This also has been considered by the Government in coming to its decision

Among the duties increased under the British preferential tariff rate in original resolutions are: Confe<ctionary 20 per cent, rate, now proposed 25 per cent.; jams, jellies and preserves Id per lb., now 2d per lb; waterproof clothing and corsets 20 per cent., now 25 per cent; tarpaulins, tents, sails, rick and waggon covers 10 per cent, now 15 per cent.; dry electric batteries and cells, free, now 15 per cent (the general tariff rate has also been increased by 15 per cent.) ad val; electric cooking and heating appliances, free, now 20 per cent; 'cart and wrought iron pipes not less than 4 inches in internal diameter and not exceeding 12 inches in internal diameter, free, now 20 per cent.; tinware and tin manufactures 15 per cent., now 20 per cent.; wooden doors 20 per cent., now 25 per cent, or 4s per door, whichever rate is th c higher (the general tariff rate on doors has also been altered to 55 per cent or 7s 6d per door, whichever is higher). It is proposed to abolish the duty under the British preferential tariff on musical instruments, including pianos. MR WEBB ON TARIFF Coal Industry Neglected WHY FREE FOREIGN FUEL? (Our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, August 22. Assent to the amended Customs Tariff was given by the House early this morning. Mr P. C. Webb (Buller) said that it was useless making an appeal again for the taxation of crude oil. It seemed to be the fixed policy of the Government to allow crude oil into New

Zealand free of duty from foreign countries. If they followed Britain’s example and placed a tax of 2d per gallon on that commodity, they would get about £300,000 in revenue, and would assist the gas industry and the hydro-electric undertakings. If a tax of 3s a ton were placed on the 100.000 tons of coal imported yearly, they would get from £45,000 to £50,000 revenue.

Mr Webb asked how could they justify the protection of, say, the boot industry or the wheat-growing industry when they did not protect the coal industry? The man farming underground was as important as the man farming on the surface of the ground. The only difference was that the former had the worse end of the deal. Not one item in these proposals would assist the mining industry. If they worked the iron deposits to the maximum, they would use about 400 or 500 tons of coal a week, and give employment to railway and other transport activities. Surely that industry deserved assistance? He asked no more for the miners and mining companies, for gas companies and for the Onakaka ironworks, than the wheatgrowers had. The farmers enjoyed a preference of 25 per cent, on all their exports, and the miners had to help to pay for it, and they were entitled to ask that a law which applied to one section of the people should apply to all. He hoped the Minister would consider the question of obtaining revenue by imposing a tax on importe 1 coal, as he had suggested, because the revenue thus obtained would be of material assistance to other industries, which were already overtaxed. In connection with the tobacco industry, ho said, the attitude of the Government should have been one of no compromise so far as New Zealand-grown tobacco is concerned. The industry was a new one, and there was no harder-worked or poorer-paid body of people in the whole Dominion than the tobacco growers. Whole families had to work in the fields, including girls of fifteen years of age.