TARIFF [RECIPROCITY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18080, 3 May 1922, Page 8

TARIFF [RECIPROCITY.

NEGOTIATIONS IN AUSTRALIA. RATIFICATION NECESSARY. STATEMENT BY MR. STEWART The tariff negotiations between Now Zealand and Australia were the subject J of a statement by the Minister for Cus- 1 toms, the Hon. W. D. Stewart, on his < arrival from Sydney by tho Mooraki yes- i terday. Ho said the agreement arrived < at could not bo made public until tho : Parliament of each country had had an < opnortuuity of considering the proposals. - " Tho negotiations," said tho Minister, " were carried on in tho first place bo- ' tween tho Federal Minister for Customs ' and myself, .and - thereat tcr between the ] Now Zealand Controller of Customs, Mr. i VV. x>. Montgomery, and the Australian . Tariff Board, comprising th© assistant : Controller of Customs, Mr. It. McK. Oak- • loy, Mr. W. Leach, and Mr. I.L Brookoa. ; TUo various points agreed upon at moot- , ings attended by thoso gentlemen were later discussed with tho two Ministers. ; Mr. Stewart said ho could not make any forecast as to how far the agreement , arrived at would prove satisfactory to tho ; New Zealand Parliament or tho Australian Parliament: It had to bo remem- i bored that two previous agreements had failed to secure ratification. The first was arranged by tho lato Hon. R. J. Seddon, and the other by tho Hon. If M. B. Fisher. The present agreement < was, however, on a much moro elaborate scalo than anything hitherto attempted. > Apart altogether from what was decided upon, said Mr. Stewart, certain further ; proposals were made by tho Common- ■ wealth Government of a far-reaching nature, which ho promised to submit to Ids colleagues for their consideration. These involved issues which had not been considered before ho left New Zealand, and he therefor© did not feel warranted in taking any action regarding them. While avoiding any reference to the terms of tho proposed treaty between New Zealand and Australia, the Minister said arrangements had been jnadet whereby goods of British origin in transit through either country or re-exported from either country, ceased to bo subjected to tho extreme tariff. This relief, Mr. Stewart stated, had been granted at the request of merchants in both countries, and it had been intended to operate as from May 1. but ho had not yet heard whether the necessary steps had been taken in Melbourne and Wellington. By way of explanation the Minister said that when goods came from any British Dominion and were re-exported from Australia to New Zealand they were at present treated as goods liable to the extreme tariff. The new" arrangement would enable such goods to be treated as goods coming from Great Britain, and accordingly would pay only the British preferential rate of duty. As to the remainder of the tariff proposals, said the Minister, if the tentative airreement was approved, it should help to restore the volume of trade to _ something approaching that ruling prior to the recent revision of the tariff in both countries.