Wednesday, March 28.

Otago Witness, Issue 748, 31 March 1866, Page 8

Wednesday, March 28.

THE TARIFF.

This subject was taken up ; and, after some conversation as to the position in which it was left at the adjournment of Monday's meeting, and the course now to be pursued, Mr Hart said that he should certainly, if it became necessary, move an amendment to the motion for the adoption of the Report of the Committee. He thought it somewhat extraordinary that when such a \ report was submitted, no member of the Committee had explained how they came ' to agree to it; nor given reasons why the scheme proposed was to be preferred to that of the existing Tariff ; nor attempted to answer the objections which he had urged at the previous meeting. He would not repeat those objections nor attempt further to illustrate them. He had a very strong objection to the proposed duties on cheese and butter, bams and bacon, coal, timber and galvanised iron, pilings and shingles. It appeared that, taking the whole Colony, L 30,000 was expected to be received on the articles enumerated ; but that gain was to be absorbed by reductions on wines and bottled beer, and doing away with the duty on hardware. He considered that the present duties on wines and bottled beer, and hardware, were not one-twentieth as objectionable as would be the imoosition of duties

on cheese, &c, as proposed by the Committee ; and, to test the feeling of the Chamber, he would move, " That the proposed reductions of duty on wines and beers, and hardware, are unnecessary.

Mr Mudib seconded the amendment, which was negatived.

Mr Davib said that the first question considered by the Committee was, whether they should go upon the principle of raising the necessary revenue by duties on the fewest articles possible, or whether they should adopt that which was now in vocue at Home, of spreading the duties, so that the duty upon any article should be inappreciable. The latter was affi/med by the Committee, but in fact it was found necessary to admit various compromises. The Committee had steadily to keep in view, that the amount to be raised niuft not be less than that now raised. Then it became evident that many articles were now exempt from duty which the Committee thought were fairly liable to duty ; and the Committee also recognised that the existing Tariff pressed unduly upon certain commercial interests. These things were considered, and thence came the proposed reductions, exclusions, and inclusions. The Committee did discuss whether it would be better to have an ad valorem duty for jewelry; and they did not recommend such a plan, because they were assured that it would open such a door to fraud as must prove very injurious. He was not, however, sure that the present sj stem was a very wise one, because of the difficulties in the way of levying the dutj 7 . As to wines, he thought a reduction to 3s injudicious; be wouid have been quite satisfied with 4s. As to beers, it must be lemembered that having a uniform duty of 1s j would be an increase of 3d on bulk, and 1 a decrease of 6d on bottled ; which, so far as it went, was accordant with the ptinciple of giving encouragement to a Colonial industry. He could see no good reason ! why timber and galvanised iron should be free from duty ; and what was proposed was so slight, that it could not be serinn=b' felt „, „, y,.»-. ;n f -.j . ir-uiv:., ' • Mr,CAßGiLii;',Wb.y ; wasit recommended that hardw are should^be exempted ?•..■}- y -.. : , ' " ThVCHAiBMAN : 'Because pf the, difficulty o r f collecting thejluty^and jts small araoun,t. ( Mr "^Lqgiej) the collector of jCustotnejjW.h.o. Hvas, requestecl'/to *,draw, jUp o a scheme, fiias •also)'excluded : hajrdw r are..f» j 0 :;; ?t > - Mi-. IJaet $$ QB bullc beer would come out of the pockets of the working classes, while 6d was taken offi bottled beer, which the consumers could well afford to pay. If the trade of the Colonial brewers was fostered, that of the bottlers, which was becoming important, was being checked. Mr Cargill thought it was a great pity that there was not a better attendance of members ; because there was nothing more strictly within the .scope of the duties of the Chamber, than making puggestion* as to the modification of the Tariff. As serious alterations were now involved, it was to be regretted that there was not such an attendance as would give real weight to any recommendations made 1 b> the Chamber. It would be a pity to raise a discussion about protection to Colonial industries, because only a very small number of articles could be affected by ihe adoption of any such principle; and the difficulty that would certainly be created would be out of all proportion to any possible advantage. He thought that the

proposed reduction on bottled beers was judicious. He had very little sympathy with the talk, which was so much indulged in, about taxing the poor and relieving the' rich. • It was to a great extent nonsense, and it bad nothing to do with the rnerit3 of the question. Wine was at present so taxed that it was practically thrown out of use. A duty of 10s a dozen was simply exorbitant, and he did not think that such a one existed elsewhere. In Greit Britain, it was considered a great advantage to the whole community, that the duties had been reduced to so low a point, especially on light wines, which were now becoming a common beverage. The 10s duty was absurd ; and everybody knew that it was almost prohibitory. The propoied duties on cheese and butter, hams and bacon, might very fairly be levied : 3} a cwt. would not tell heavily, and he saw no reason why those articles should not be taxed as much as many others. It would certainly spread taxation over a large number of persons ; and ws had not yet arrived at a point when any particular local industry would be interfered with. He did not know a fairer duty that could be imposed than Is per 100 ft. on timbers from America and Europe : they could well bear it, without any idea of protection. The colonial timbers uspd here were almost wholly the growth of New Zealand.

There was a discussion as to the adjournment of the meeting; but the motion proposed by Mr Martin, on Monday, was put

Mr Cahgixl thought it would not be possible to name every article ; and if such a list could be put into a schedule of an Act, and there was any error or oversight, so matters must remain until a new Act could be passed.

The Chairman thought it better even to have error, it fixed, than such unsettled confusion aa now prevailed. Such were the differences in practice at different ports, that he had known a case in which goods were sent from Wellington to Auckland to be cleared, so as to leave a profit after freight had been paid. Mr Hart moved to substitute an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent, on clocks, watches, jewelry, and plated-ware, instead of the rates recommended by the Committee.

Mr Whitelaw seconded this ; and it wai azreed to.

Mr Hart moved that furniture, harness, saddlery, musical instruments, toys, fancy goods, and brushware be also subject to an, ad valorem duty of 10 per cent. The result of the Committee's proposal would be to throw common toys, and bulky kinds of what were commonly known as "fancy goods," out of the market. The effect of the duty would be to make articles which were dearer as to first cost, cheaper to consumers.

Mr Cahgill said that if this principle was to be acted out, it should in fairness be made to include drapery. He believed that the rate proposed by the Committee would not be felt on furniture ; and as to saddlery, be presumed that k would be ndmitted that it was more difficult to put n v'ilue up >n it than upon almost any othtr kmd of goods. There would thence result disputes and seizures ; and one of the greatest nuisances conceivable in connection with a Tariff was that the Custom House should be turned into an auction room for all sorts of goods. Ma Hart said that under the Committee's proposal, a case of American brooms would be subject to 2s 6d a foot, or about 5d a broom, or 50 per c nt. on the price at which such things had been sold here. Under euch a Tariff, what me r chant would be likely to import bulky goods, that left little profit at best, when there was a prospect of having them left on hand, with a j large amount of duty paid on them. - Tha Ch.vikman felt sure that no one ;would so include them. . Mr Hart said tint bass brooms would be included ; and Custom House officers would be sure to subject them to the highest duty possible.

Mr l ARGiiL admitted that ad valorem

duties would be the ruost equable in their pressure; but most knew also that they were unworkable, (granted, that measurement duties pressed very unequally; still, the ftcility of collection more than counterbalanced the disadvantages. If th

inequality of pressure on some articles was so great as seriously to affect the trade in them, the true remedy was to strike these articlt s out oi the list. Ad valorem duties had been tried where they could be much better collected than would be possible here; but everywhere they had been discarded as intolerable nuisances. Those who were interested in articles which the proposed 2s 6& duty would, seriously affect should have come forward and informed the Chamber on the subject. He thought it would be ab«urd to attempt to work a compound Tariff made up of ad valorem and measurement duties.

Mr Hart's proposal was seconded pro forma, and was negatived.

The meeting was aljourned until Tuesday next, with a view to securing a larger attendance of members.