BRITISH TARIFF

Hokitika Guardian, 17 February 1932, Page 5

BRITISH TARIFF

THE COMMONS DEBATE. CLAIMS BY GOVERNMENT. (British Official Wireless.) ItUGBY, February 1«. Exceptional interest was displayed in the Commons debate on the Imports Duties Bill, which with the proposals tor dealing with agriculture, outlined last week, constitute the main part of the Cabinet's scheme for meeting the national emergency. Major Elliot, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, moving the second reading, said that the Government

sought by tliis measure to correct the •balance of payments, to check the | depreciation of tlie pound, to secure freedom of trade by offering advantages to other countries in return for advantages they might give Britain, to have an instrument to meet discrimination against the British, to encourage British people to secure a reasonable share of their markets, and to fortify the finances of the country by a not unduly high, but a widely spread, revenue duty, Referring to the Advisory Committee to be set Up, he said that its duty tvoliid be tb consider the position of t'bnsuihers as vveil as producers. It could recomniehd duties additional to ten per cent, acl valorem, which might or might not be subject to drawbacks. Part two or the Bill gave power to the Board to add supplementary duties to | he imposed in the case of foreign discrimination. The Government believed that Britain, with its huge markets had a more powerful lever under the Bill than any other country, and it would be used to bring down duties. The Government fully recognised the necessity for preserving the country’s great entrepot trade, and this was provided for in part three of the Bill, which contemplated dealing with it not by a single specific proposal, but by proposals applied to the needs in each case.

. | The Leader of the Opposition, Mr | Lansbury, moving the rejection of the ■ Imports Bill, on the' ground that the J provisions were irrelevant in the prei sent crisis, claimed that despite tariffs i the United States, which was a creditor nation, is still on the gold standard, and a rich self-contained country, had eight to twelve millions of unemployed, and it was reported that hundreds of children were dying, and j thousands were homeless and starving. MO NEWSPRINT PREFERENCE. COMBINE NOT IN NEEL. LONDON, February Id. In the House of Commons, Rt. Hon. Mr Tyron, fob the Government, replied to a protest from a section of the presh against tiiO exclusion of newsprint t from the tariff. He siijd that three large newspaper groups owned about three-fourths of the total newsprint I of the country, with resources that j were available to them in Canada and Newfoundland'. Tlie question, however, affected between six and seven thousand newspapers and periodicals, the great mass of which were not so favourably placed. Representations had been made on their behalf.

PREFERENCE PROMISES.

LONDON, February 16

In the House of Commons, Rt. HonMr Tyron, referring to the tariff, said that the main advantage of the Bill would be an enormous power to reciplocate towards the Dominions. It would augment trade therewith, and result in great benefit to their shipping industry. The Bill would enormously help the policy of Imperial preference. The wide range of duties would provide large opportunities fotgranting preference to Dominions. The House adjourned.

DUTY ON FISH. LONDON, February 13. Proposals in the report of a SubCommittee of Civil Research appointed to investigate the fishing industry, include a recommendation that the question of imposing restrictions on the importation of white fish, of which some three million pounds’ worth is imported annually, should be considered by the Government in connection with any steps taken to improve the balance' of trade.