TARIFF PROPOSALS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19584, 14 September 1925, Page 8

TARIFF PROPOSALS

BRITAIN AND AUSTRALIA. i AN AUSTRALIAN CRITICISM. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. LONDON, September 11. Mr M. L. Shepherd, who is acting High Commissioner in the absence of Sir Joseph Cook, writing to the press, points out that the proposed tariff changes the one insignificant item of cotton piece goods and hardly affects the substantial measure of help which the Australian tariff affords to Britain. During the first half of 1925 Australia was Lancashire's third best customer. Mr Shepherd points ont further that cotton tweeds are a substitute for woollen tweeds, and therefore compete with the cheaper Australian woollens. Cotton tweeds represented only 1 per cent, of Australia’s imports of cotton piece goods.—A, and N.Z. Cable. THE BRITISH VIEW. LONDON, September 12. (Received Sept. 13, at 5.5 p.m.) The Daily News in an editorial says that Australia’s new tariff is another example of the dubious advantage of Imperial preference to Britain. Australian products have free access to the British market, but British goods sent to Australia are handicapped by formidable tariffs, of which they received only slight modification compared with the foreigner. Australia House dismisses the blow to cotton tweeds as an insignificant item, bat in view of the representatives’ hope that the Commonwealth will modify its proposals expensive, machinery has been laid down specially to supply cotton tweeds to Australia, when it was not suspected thev would ho given such disconcerting preference as a tariff doubling the selling price.—A. and N.Z. Cable.