NEW TARIFF DEBATED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19761, 7 October 1927, Page 13

NEW TARIFF DEBATED.

VARIOUS CRITICISMS. PLEAS FOR PROTECTION. IRON, BOTTLES AND STONE. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] . WELLINGTON. Thursday. In the course of the discussion on the Customs Amendment Bill in Committee in the House of Representatives to-day questions were asked regarding various proposals. Mr. W. A. Veitch (Wanganni) drew attention to the duty on wrought iron pipes. He considered that the Minister had not given sufficient reasons for declining to include the lower sizes in the duty. If the tariff was to be dependent on the Government yielding to pressure the outlcook bo far as the development of industries was concerned was a poor one. The Minister: I am resisting pressure. Mr. Veitch said there was no doubt the Minister had had a big task in revising the tariff. He had made subtle attempt. to please everybody, and had finished np by pleasing himself by getting more revenue. Mr. Harris (Waitemata) opposed the abolition of the duty on galvanised iron sheeting. It was hard to understand, he said, why this was being done. A firm in Auckland, which had a galvanising plant, said that it would have to close its factory as a result of abolition of the duty. It was the desire of the Government to keep the cost of house-building down, but even so he did not think it wise to remove the slight protection on galvanised iron. Mr. H. T. Armstrong (Christchurch South) drew attention to the quantity of American soft-wood timber imported, while a large number of our mills were closed and men were idle. The Minister proposed to give some protection, but it was not sufficient to do local industries any real good. Mr. V. H. Potter (Roskill) suggested a 20 per cent, general tariff all round on glass bottles. The Dominion bottle makers were striving to capture the local market. The Minister remarked that they were doing all right now with the large bottles. Mr. T. M. Wilford (Hutt) asked for greater protection for porcelain baths, which were being made in his district with New Zealand pig iron as their basis He also urged the admission of motor chassis free as an encouragement to the motor-body building industry. Generally speaking, he thought the Minister had made an extremely fair adjustment of the tariff. Mr. R. P. Hudson (Motueka) asked for a higher duty on Indian iron as protection to the Onakaka iron works. The Hon. D. Buddo (Kaiapoijl complained of the lack of support given in the tariff to the woollen industry, which was not in a flourishing condition, though its products were equal to any in the world. Mr. T. W. Rhodes (Thames) asked for greater protection for New Zeatland stone. He was afraid that under the tariff Coromandel granite and every other New Zealand stone quarry would have to be closed. The debate was continued throughout the evening by various members. The "short title" was agreed to at 12.25 a.m. The House then adjourned until 2.30 p.m. WIRELESS RECEIVING SETS. THE DUTY ON CABINETS. AID TO LOCAL INDUSTRY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] WELLINGTON. Thursday. " It is believed that there is considerable scope in Now Zealand for the manufacture of cabinets for wireless receiving sets, as the next few years will undoubtedly provide a considerable increase in the number of sets sold," says the Minister of Customs, Hon W. Downie Stewart, in his memorandum on the new customs duties issued to-day. The encouragement of the building of the cabinets in New Zealand, he says, will also tend to encourage the assembly of sets locally, which will give a certain amount of skilled %vork to electricians. It is considered that an increase of 10 per cent, in duty on the made-up sets in cabinets as against the rates of duty charged on the component parts, will give ample protection to the cabinetmaking industry. It is proposed that wireless broadcasting receiving sets mounted in cabinets shall be charged with duty at the rate of 10 per cent, under the British preferential tariff, and at the rate of 30 per cent, under the general tariff; that the electrical components of the sets when imported apart from the cabinets shall be admitted free under the British preferential tariff or charged with duty at 20 per cent, under the general tariff; and that the cabinet work for the sets imported separate therefrom or when not containing any substantial portion of the set, shall be classed as "cabinetware, n.e.i.," at 25 per cent, under the British preferential tariff, or 45 per cent, under the general tariff.