AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume II, Issue 102, 15 April 1912, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN RESOURCES

RECIPROCAL TARIFF PROPOSAL. DEPUTATION TO THE MINUS-. TER OF CUSTOMS. Christchurch, April 15. The Hon. G. Laurcnson was waited upon by a deputation of representative manufacturers of agricultural implements to-day. Mr. G. T. Booth, the principal spokesman, congratulated Mr. Laurenson on being appointed Minister of Customs. It was a matter of great satisfaction to manufacturers to know that that department of the public service was in the hands jf a Minister who had a great deal of sympathy with local industries. Fie said the deputation did not wait on the Minister to ask that increased duties be put on imported agricultural machinery. He had noticed that there was some possibility of a reciprocal Customs arrangement with the Australian Commonwealth being brought uji for consideration. A suggestion of that sort had been thrown out by the Premier on the other side. The deputation wished to point out that Australian-made implements came into New Zealand free of duty, while on the other hand implements made in New Zealand and shipped to Australia had to pay a duty ol from 15 to 25 per cent. At one time certain of the Australian States were free, and then New Zealand developed quite a nice implement trade with New South Wales and Queensland. When the Federal tariff came, in that trade practically came to an end, and the export of agricultural machinery to Australia from New Zealand now amounted to practically nothing. The importation of Australian implements into New Zealand was not very large. In one publication Mr. Cameron had estimated the value of imports at £lO,OOO a year, but so far 'as the manufacturers were aware there was nothing like that coming in. He pointed out that a great deal of development was going on in Australia. A considerable nupiber of New Zealanders were going there to settle, and manufacturers wanted to continue relations with these New Zealanders. If New Zealand implements could be introduced into Australia under more favourable conditions than existed at. present, settlers would continue to buy machinery they knew ; but if they had .to nay a duty of 15 to 25 per cent, they would have to buy the Australian machine. The request of the deputation that there should be reciprocal free trade in implements between New Zealand and Australia was a rasonable one~ The Minister replied that Mr. Booth had brought out a very important point when he said that the deputation did not ask for an increase in duties, which might cause an agitation in some quarters, but rather to promote reciprocal trade, between two branches of the British Empire. It was quite reasonable that a country should object to a compctitivo- . free ’importsefrem a country where wages were poor and hours long ; but Australia had no complaint against New Zealand in that respect. It was their boast that as far as wages and hours were concerned N cw Zealand was abreast of any country in the world, and he thought that was a very- good thing to boast about. As far as a reciprocal tariff with Australia was concerned, he could say that the Government had been approached with a view to certain prominent gentlemen visiting this country to arrange a basis for reciprocal trade. He gathered from Mr. Montgomery, the secretary of the department, that while New Zealand would be able to send a greed, deal of stuff to Aus'■’■iilia, Australia would not send so mS/th stuff here on which New Zealand could rerterr- the* duty. Australia could send timber - .t- p -d wines, and one or tuo articles. of'''i xfet.‘..description, The Minister recalled tha? late Mr. Seddon arranged a temporary treaty with Mr. Deakin. which was submitted to Parliament. One of the most important items was th {it sugar was to be admitted free. That would have had a most disastrous effect on a large, industry in the north, and the House decided against it. There were several other reasons why that treaty could not be permanently agreed to. There was now a very strong feeling in. New Zealand in favour of having closer relations with Australia. From figures supplied by Mr. Montgomery he gathered that in J 907 Australia imported £401.000 worth of agricultural implements, and in 1910 £590,085 worth. Nev.- Zealand’s imports for the same years were £1'2,000 and £llB.OOO. The imports of agricultural implements fiom Australia had decreased from 1907, the round figures being:—l9o7, £10,000: J SOS. £"14.000: 1900. £8000; 1910, £8900; 1911, £7400. The exports from New Zealand to Australia had risen from £5OOO in 1907 to £lO,OOO in 1910. Mr. Ccmeron’s report on the matter had impressed him as being a very valuable one. The Minister added that I'.e had been struck with the necessity of adjusting the tariff at frequent rather than rare intervals. The conditions altered in two or three years, and they should no! wait for ten .rears before adjustingi their tariff to meet the changed eon ditjons. There were quite a number of anomalies in the tariff. He did not know whether the Government, intended to alter it. this year, but he thought they should. He thought that the prcpo'-al of the deputation was a good one. The labour conditions were practically identical, and he did not think that any reasonable man could object to the proposal made. He hoped to. get the Government to agree with him and to get Australia to see it in the same light. Mr. Booth made a suggestion dial I he return of impel ts of agricultural machinery should be more particularised in the Blue Book, as it was difficult under the present system of compiling the returns to separate agricultural machinery from general inaehineri. The Minister said that if this could lie done it would be done. He thanked Mr. Booth for the kind personal. i efei ences he had made at the open ing of liis remarks. Jn these dais a reference such as that came 'civ ac-1

ecptably. He fully realised that it was impossible for them all to see eye to eye on political subjects, but he thought that on the bulk of subjects reasonable men could agree. He hoped that during his teim of office he would be able to do some good for the industries of the country.