NO LICENCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23272, 15 February 1939, Page 15

NO LICENCES

GOODS HELD ON WHARF ORDERED WITHOUT PERMITS CHARGES ACCUMULATING PLIGHT OF IMPORTERS Instances are occurring of goods from overseas being held in the wharf sheds because the importers concerned have not obtained import licences. Such goods were ordered subsequent to December 5, when the scheme was announced, importers expecting that licences would be forthcoming. In some of these cases applications for licences are being considered, but in others licences have been refused and the goods are held pending the result of appeals that have been lodged. Where appeals are refused it will presumably be necessary to ship back such goods to the country of origin unless they are of a character that may permit of arrangements being made with other importers to take delivery under their own licences. In the meantime storage charges are accumulating, the Harbour Board giving free storage for only 48 hours. Formerly the limit was 24 hours, but the period has been extended because of complications introduced by the licence system.

There have also been storage troubles in respect of goods ordered prior to December 5 which have been subject to delays in obtaining licences. Such goods are granted licences, but they are included in the importer's six months quota, and with the heavy burden of applications pressing upon the Customs Department, delays in obtaining tho necessary licences to permit clearances were inevitable.

This particular trouble was more apparent in January, and now that the department is probably within a week of clearing the present accumulation of applications for the first six months of the j'ear it should disappear, for the time being, very quickly. Delays from time to time are, however, regarded as almost inseparable from the operation of the control scheme, there being many problems connected with licences that may produce delays in the clearing of goods from the wharf sheds. Such factors are assessed by importers as part of the cost they are compelled to bear under the scheme of regulated imports.

SECOND SIX MONTHS THE ISSUE OF PERMITS SOME RELAXATIONS MADE CERTAIN CLASSES OF GOODS Applications for licences to import certain classes of seasonal goods for the second period of the year are now being considered by the Customs Department in Auckland. A few licences for the second period have actually been issued. Throughout the past few weeks the department has been maintaining the rate of issue of licences for the first six months of the year, and yesterday the total of licences issued reached 16,425. A few hundreds of applications for the first period remain to be dealt with, and, although applications are still coming in, the end of the accumulation is in sight. The department has now decided to grant import licences to importers affected covering the actual amount of the loss suffered by them through goods damaged or destroyed in the fire on the liner Rimutaka.

Some of the restrictions imposed on certain classes of goods under the regulations have been relaxed and this will apply to the first six months of the year. Cuts had been made in the importation of books of foreign origin, and these have now been withdrawn, but publications which give prominence to obscenity, horror, cruelty or crime are still subject to restrictions. In the latter category _ are many types of magazine. English books are still admitted without subjection to a predeiermined cut.

The reduction that applied to assembled motor-cycles has been dropped. A withdrawal of cuts also applies to armour plate or toughened glass that is chiefly used for motor-vehicles.