TARIFF COMMISSION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21638, 2 November 1933, Page 10

TARIFF COMMISSION

IMPORTS OF CORKBOARD DUTY ON FOREIGN SOUGHT [BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION] WELLINGTON. Wednesday A duty of 30 per cent on corkboard coming into New Zealand from a foreign source was sought by Mr. J. H. Prummond, 011 behalf of Newalls, Limited, insulation manufacturers, England, in an application heard before the Tariff Commission to-day. .Mr. Drummond said corkboard for cold storage purposes was not manufactured in New Zealand, but was imported in very large quantities. The main sources of supply were England, Spain, Portugal and the United States of America. Until September, 1930, his company enjoyed a reasonable proportion of the trade, but in the following month Spanish and Poutuguese manufacturers, finding themselves with tremendous quantities of material after an unsuccessful effort to corner the; world's corkboard supplies, decided to upset the world market by a drastic cutting of prices, the same procedure being adopted to-day, with the result that the market to English corkboard t\as practically dead. An objection was placed before the commission by Mr. H. Eowon, representing the National Federation of (.'lay industries, England, against an application made at earlier sittings asking foV a duty of 20 per cent on imported silica bricks. He contended that the high transport, packing and insurance charges, which were borne by United Kingdom silica bricks exported to New Zealand in themselves afforded ample and full protection for the New Zealand industry.