THE TARIFF.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 74 (Supplement)

THE TARIFF.

THE DUTY ON CONFECTIONERY. With reference to the deputation which waited upon the Premier and the Hon. J. A. Miller to protest against the proposed increase of duty on confectionery, ‘ f An Importer” says that Mr Millar was under a misapprehension when he remarked that the deputation had said chocolate confectionery was admitted at 2d per lb. It was a libel on the importers of the colony to say that the whole of die importers sought to introduce chocolates under the confectionery rate of 2d per lb. He imports large quantities of chocolate confections, is intimately acquainted with the trade from end to end of the colony, and says he never heard of such a thing. His knowledge of the trade leads him to suppose the Minister is resting under a wrong impression. In any case, the officers of the department have the remedy in their own hands, and should make an example of any such case that existed. Emphasis could not be laid too strongly on the fact that if the new tariff were enforced a great number of the cheaper and lines would be shut out, both in confectionery and in liquorice goods. This would cause a great injury to the trade, and less revenue would be derived. What the trade really desired was a reversion to the duty of 2d per lb on confectionery and, if possible, an ad valorem rate on fancy packages of confectionery, as wrnll as a reversion to the ad valorem rate on fancy packages of chocolates. The trade also wished to revert to the 10 per cent, ad valorem rate on liquorice.