THE TAX ON CONSIGNMENTS AND TRAVELLERS. Napier, May 8.

Otago Witness, Issue 2202, 14 May 1896, Page 17

THE TAX ON CONSIGNMENTS AND TRAVELLERS. Napier, May 8.

Mr M'Gowan, TaxOommigaioner, waspressnt at a largely attended m«ating of the Chamber of Corome-ce to-day, when he explained at -length the object of the new taxes on cousigument goods and on commercial 'travellvcsitom ou'side the colony. In briei his. explanation was that both taxes were primarily designed to protect the New Zealand traders from unfair outside com potibjpn. At present the coimigneftof consigned goods no doubt paid the tax on hit aommisdiou, but there was another profit, that<of the cousignor, which the new 'tax was designed to catch. The importer here pivid on both profits. The .profit iad been fixed at 7£ per cent., because after examination in any ad valorem invoices, that was found to be a fair average. Many consignees showed losses on consignments, but investigation showed these losses were on goods .taxed by weight or measure, and that, in .neirly all instances the invoice prioes were shown by European and American prices current, a»d that if the true .value "were shown there would be a profit. Where a bona fidt Joss was shown no tax would be levied. The commercial traveller t»x was imposed .because it -was found extremely difficult to assess the profits on the orders 'taey took, while to let those goods in free of itax«ou profits handicapped New Zealand -merchants. He wag listened 'tojmost attentively, and evidently mads a great impression on members .present, who passed a.hewty vote of ihanks to him for his In the course of 'his remark* he istated that the agitation against -the consignment tax was got up by two firms, one doing business in Auckland and'the other hi Welting' tomand'Ohßifltohurch. To his knowledge,! one firm was using the correspondence jnrith • the department as an advertisement for iUelf to show how .it looked after the interests of consignors, 'in ithe hopes of getting a monopoly di the consignment business to the colony.

For raffling a mare and foal, valued at £5, at Foxton, B. T. Bmythe was fined £5 and .costs (£2 15s). Nisimo & Blair's " Standard" Seeds »reunequalled for quality of -strain, Their pxodSßl tote priz« everywhere,