TO PREVENT DUMPING

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVII, Issue LXXVII, 6 June 1919, Page 5

TO PREVENT DUMPING

PROPOSALS TO CONTROL CUSTOMS TARIF.

(BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

WELLINGTON, June 5. Giving evidence before the Industries Committee, Mr W. B. Montgomery (Comptroller of Customs) described the measures taken in Australia to regulate the tariff. A tariff board had beer, established, having general functions relating t o trade and industry. 1 lie board hud no power to amend the tariff; it merely made recommenda- ; tions. He understood the recommendations had not had very much influence with Parliament in Australia i he process of tariff amendment in Austraha was the same as in New Zealand Under the Australian tariff New Zealand was treated a s a foreign country New Zealand gave Australia preferential treatment. The reciprocal tariff treaty arranged with Australia by the Hon F M. B. Fisher lapsed before its completion owing to change of Gov ernnient m the Commonwealth. There had been cases of deliberate dumping o. overseas goods in New Zealand with the object of killing a local industry Keplying to a question, Mr Montgomery said that the Government had no special power a t present to prevent dumpmg from overseas countries but he had submitted a clause somewhat ■similar to the law in operation in f an;L da-,J h. e clause fc&a the anm-oval of the Minister of Customs. It was not proposed to interfere with dumping in cases where no local industry yZ* J ea£en^\ He believed Ne«' Zealand should have an evolutionary tariff instead of a fixed one. The existing tariff was not sufficiently elastic, and thero was no doubt "it had hampered the establishment of industries in the Dominion. H e had prepared an amendment to the customs law, which, he understood, the Minister was prepared to place before Parliament at the first opportunity. The amendment was designed to rectify anomalies and remove conditions that had been injurious to New Zealand manufactures. The clause provided that in the case of an article admitted tree the Minister, should have the power to impose p. preferential duty in tavor of British- Dominions.