RAW MATERIALS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23259, 31 January 1939, Page 11

RAW MATERIALS

MANUFACTURERS' NEEDS DELAYED LICENCES LOSS OF. TIME SERIOUS WELLINGTON COMPLAINTS .mi £bY TELEGBAPH OWN COBBESPONDENr] WELLINGTON, Monday Dissatisfaction at the treatment boj far received under the import regulations was expressed by a number*of Wellington manufacturers whoso* opinions were sought to-day. It was 1 stated that, in spite of the statement made to the importers' conference by the Minister of Finance and Customs, the Hon. W. Nash, a number of importers had not yet received their licences for the first half of the current year. In many cases manufacturers have had their raw material requirements reduced considerably, and in several instances even the quantities imported last year have been reduced. . . • c "This seems rather curious in view of the Government's requests to New Zealand manufacturers to increase production," said one manufacturer. "We have every faith in Mr. ?<ash s assurance that the importation of raw materials will be facilitated, but the long delay involved in the present method of procedure is becoming Berious, particularly jti the case ol: firms engaged in the production of seasonal goods. Rigid Set of Rule« "Not having been given permission to import as much raw material as we require, we simply have had to lodge ; an appeal, and, although we befieve this appeal will be successful, we have already lost a valuable part of tho j season and have no knowledge of how ! much longer it will be before tho appeals will be dealt with." Another manufacturer complained that the rigid application of a set of rules under which the Customs De- I partment was apparently working made no allowance for changes in manufacturing methods, alterations in fashions, or advances due to the discovery of ! better methods of manufacture. As far as original applications for licences were concerned, importers of raw materials had not been permitted any increase in quantity over their imports for tho first half of the year, nor had they been permitted to import any materials other than those they had previously imported. For instance, in the manufacture of fancy footwear, fashions changed every season and materials that were popular last year had been replaced by other materials this year. However, shoe manufacturers had- not been allowed to import tho new material. No doubt that was a kind of anomaly that would be put right when appeajp were dealt with, but in the meantime manufacture!* were held up. Manufacturers in the Dark

Reference was made by several manufacturers to the steps 'being taken by a special committee consisting of members of the Industries and Commerce Department, which was obtaining from various manufacturing groups information which might be referred to by the Customs Department. One manufacturer said that apparently the committee received from the Customs Department from time to time particulars of the extent to which certain importations were being reduced. The committee then endeavoured to meet representatives of the local manufacturing group producing goods of that kind to ascertain to what extent they could make up for the import reduction. At present, however, manufacturers had no guarantee that the information being sought from them was being considered by the Customs Department or not,- and in several instances manufacturing groups had declined to meet ths committee until the position had been clarified. The trouble was that there did not appear to be any direct cooperation between the two departments and the authority remained solely with the Customs Department.