FATE OF CIGARETTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23882, 9 August 1939, Page 6

FATE OF CIGARETTES

NEARLY 2,000,000 DESTROYED NON-COMPLIANCE WITH REGULATIONS (Per United Press Association) CHRISTCHURCH. Aug. 8. Shovelful upon shovelful of English cigarettes, nearly 2.000,000 in all. were tossed into a city firm's furnace last night by Customs officials before the hungry eyes of the firm's employees. The cigarettes, totalling 1.250.000. did not comply with the import regulations. They had been ordered in England prior to the restrictions, but had not been shipped until shortly after the enforcement of the new regulations, and had been held in bond since their arrival while the Customs Departmenl and the importing firm negotiated over their fate. ... At length it was decided that their importation did not cowiply with the regulations, and so over 1,000,000 went up the factory,chimney in smoke under the supervision of three officials. Thev were followed to-day by a further 500,000. OTHER SIDE OF STORY ACTION TAKEN BY IMPORTER A SLOW-SELLING LINE V «Per Unwed Press association) WELLINGTON, Aug. 8. The Minister at present in charge of the Customs Department (Mr H. G R., Mason) in a statement to-day referred to the Press Association message from Christchurch alleging that nearly 2,000,000 English cigarettes were destroyed in a city firm's furnace. The Minister stated he had hac 1 inquiries made into the circumstances, and the actual facts were that the cigarettes of this line had been found to be so'slow in selling that the importer hnd decided it was not worth while paying duty on the residue of them and accordingly, he had them destroyed. Occasionally in such circumstances it had been arranged to give such cigarettes to an institution such as an old man's home, but this, of course required the assent of the imDorter The essential point, the Minister said, was that there had been no negotiations in the present instance and no question of import restriction, but merely a decision by the owner not to incur the expenditure of ordinary duty on a line that had proved to be in little demand.