IMPORTED FLOUR

New Zealand Times, Volume LIV, Issue 12659, 20 January 1927, Page 12

IMPORTED FLOUR

FARMERS ANXIOUS GOVERNMENT WATCHING DUMPING DUTIES READY The anxiety which-farmers in the south have -expressed in respect to excessive supplies of Australian flour being dumped in New Zealand has to some extent been allayed by a statement issued by the Minister for Finance (Hon. Mr Stewart), who ventures the assurance that dumping duties will be imposed as soon as'im[>ortations become excessive. “Careful inquiries have been made in Australia,” stated Mr Stewart, “as to the accuracy of the information submitted to the Customs Department on export prices as compared with Australian local home consumption prices. The large difference between export prices to New Zealand, and Australian home prioes, sometimes amounting to £3 a ton, as shown in the newspaper market quotations, is not confirmed by our inquiries in Australia. Moreover, it must be remembered that export prices from Australia are for cash, and local sales are on credit, involving the risk of loss for bad debts. EVER READY “Also delivery of local sales ts at a fixed price over, a certain radius, whereas the exporter has merely to deliver at th 6 dock. The importations of flour so far have been normal, and not more than are necessary for the requirements of the Dominion. The position is being closely watched, and the Jumping duties will be imposed by the Government whenever it is shown that the circumstances warrant it, allowing for tile factors above indicated. Importers are aware that the duties can be imposed at any time.” A suggestion was made to the Minister recently by Mr M.P., that to prevent dumping all invoices of Australian flour imported in future into New Zealand should have the declaration as to domestic price endorsed by a New Zealand trade official. INVOICE.S Mr Stewart has replied to the effect that there are serious objections to putting this proposal into practice. “For example,” he states, “the current domestic value of any particular quality or brand of flour could only be obtained by an inspection of the books of the exporter of that flour., New Zealand Government officers have no power to demand the production in Australia of such books, and therefore their endorsement of the current domestic value would have to be based upon such documents as were voluntarily produced. Again, the Customs Acts impose on the importer the onus of producing duly certified invoices and of declaring to the correctness of the particulars shown on his entry. If the course suggested were adopted, the fZustoms Department might be seriously prejudiced in dealing with any case in which incorrect or fraudulent invoices were produced. NO DISCRIMINATION “If proceedings were contemplated in any such cases, it would at once be pointed out that the values had been endorsed by an officer of the New Zealand Government. Further, if such a procedure were adopted with respect to flour, it would be an extremely difficult , matter for the Government to refuse a similar arrangement with respect to any other important article of merchandise concerning which some difficult question had arisen. Flour is exported from certain towns in Australia where no New' Zealand Government officers are stationed, and it would be manifestly impossible for such invoices to bo endorsed as suggested. j GOVERNMENT MOVING i “The difficulty, however, in determining whether the dumping of flour J is taking place is not due to the incorrectness or otherwise of the invoices . which have been produced or to that < of the certificates thereon. Although 1 the onus of establishing a prima facie I case of the dumping of any pro- ■ luct rests upon those desiring the imposition of dumping duty, my department has not been inactive in the ' matter.” a In his reply to Mr Jones, the Min- , ister quotes from the provisions of the ■ Customs Amendment Act, 1921, in sup- ] port of his contention that "the fact ' that the actual export selling price of \ flour is less than the, current domestic 0 value is not sufficient to justify the y Government in imposing dumping ( duty. C