INFERIOR GUNS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13750, 15 May 1908, Page 7

INFERIOR GUNS.

DO THEY ENTER NEW ZEALANDV

"Arm any shoddy ' gun* being'put on to New Zealand gunst'.l' , . , i'»?" was the question a. press representative asked several Wellington merchants v.-in) do a ; good busing** in the importation of firearm*. The inquiry was prompted in the first plsce by the cabled information that members of th* Birmingham gun trade had strongly com* plained about (!)■>; importation into Australasia, oil Belgian guns branded with colourable imitations of the names of British makers, . and also regarding the alleged dumping in the colonics of American guns which did not bear a proof mark.

A gentleman who had recently come from Birmingham said: "The complaints of impositions by the Belgians are-very well founded, and, more than that,.. they, have been made any time during the past tea years. 11l fact, things got »>' bad about five years ago that the matte: was brought under the notice of the House of Commons." It- was asserted, further, that the position had become very serious for the Birmingham gun 'trade, as it was quite a common practice for Belgian 'makers to imitate the names of British manufacturers. " "In all the .course" of our trade experience, and we cover about two-thirds of the Dominion," said "Mr. J. Duthie, "we have had no reason to suspect that guns bearing imitation brands are put upon the market here. A certain proportion of Belgian guns are certainly sold, but all are legitimately braided with the name of the actual maker. No such suggestion as that contained in the cable message has ever cropped up here, so far as we can say." J "All I can say," , remarked Mr. '• E. W. Mills, when approached .on the subject, " is that all the guns our firm imports from the Continent War the proof house mark, and also the correct names of the makers., The American guns also arc all stamped with the maker's name, though they do not have a proof house mark, tor the s,r pie reason that in that country the Government does not, I think, run such an institution for fire arm a made ill private factories."