AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3031, 17 April 1912, Page 17

AGRICULTURAL IMPLEMENTS.

RECIPROCAL FREETRADE WITH AUSTRALIA. CHRISTCHURCH, April 13. The Hon. Q. Laurenson was waited upon by a deputation of representative manufacturers of agricultural implements. Mr Geo. T. Booth, the principal spokesman, congratulated Mr Laurenson on being appointed Minister of Customs. It was a matter of great satisfaction to manufacturers to know that that department of the public service was in the hands of a Minister who had a great deal of sympathy with local industries. He said-' the deputation did not wait on the Minister to ask that increased duties be put on imported agricultural machinery. They had noticed that there was some possibility of a reciprocal Customs arrangement with the Australian Comonwealth being brought up for consideration, a suggestion of that sort having been thrown out by the Prime Minister on the other side. The deputation wished to point out that Australian-made implements came into New Zealand free of duty, while on the other hand implements made in New Zealand and shipped to Australia had- to pay a duty of from 15 to 25 per cent. At one time certain of the Australian States were free, and then New Zealand developed quite a nice implement trade with New South Wales and Queensland, when the Federal tariff came in that trade practically came to an end, and the export of agricultural machinery to Australia from New Zealand now amounted to practically nothing. The importation of Australian implements into New Zealand was not very large. In one publication Mr Cameron had estimated the value of the imports at £IO,OOO a year, but so far as the manufacturers were aware there was nothing .like that coming in. H« pointed out that a great deal of development was going on in Australia. A considerable number of New Zealandens were going there to settle, and the manufacturers naturally wanted to continue their relations with these New ZeaJr.ind.erß. •If New Zealand implements could be introduced to Australia und%r more favourable conditions than existed at present the settlers would continue to buy maohines they knew, but if they had to pay a duty of 15 to 25 per cent, they would have to buy the Australian machine. The request of the deputation that there should be reciprocal Freetrade in implements between New Zealand and Australia was a reasonable one. The Minister replied that Mr Booth had brought out a very important point when he said that the deputation did not ask for an increase in duties which might cause an agitation in some quarters, but rather desired to promote a reciprocal trade between two branches of the British* pire. It was quite reasonable that a country should object to competitive free importation from a country where the wages were poor and the hours longer, but Australia had no complaint against New Zealand in that respect. It was their boast that, as far as wages and hours concerned, New Zealand was abreast of any country in the world, and he thought that was a very good thing to boast about. As far as a reciprocal tariff with Australia was concerned, he could say that the Government had been approached with a view to certain prominent gentlemen visiting this country to arrange a basis for reciprocal trade. He had gathered from Mr Montgomery, the secretary of the department, that while New Zealand would be able to send a great deal of stuff to Australia, Australia would not send so much staff here on which New Zealand could relievle the duty. Australia could send timber and wines and one or two "articles of that description. The Minister recalled that the late Mr Seddon arranged a temporary treaty with Mr Deakin, which was submitted to Parliament. One of the most important items was that sugar was to be admitted free. That would have had a most disastrous effect on a large industry in the north, and the House decided against it. There were eeveral other reasons why that treaty could not be permanently agreed to. There was now a very strong feeling in New Zealand in favour of having closer trade relations with Australia. From figures supplied by Mr Montgomery he gathered that in 1907 Australia imported £40,000 worth of agricultural implements, and in 1910 £590,065 worth. New Zealand's imports for the same years were £112,000 and £IIB,OOO. The imports of agricultural implements from Australia haa decreased from 1907,

the round figures being : 10.000; 1908, £14.000; 1909, £9000; 1910, £8900; 1911, £7400. The exports from New Zealand to Australia had risen from £SOOO in 1907 to £10,030 in 1910. Mr Cameron's report on the matter had impressed him as being a very valuable one. The Minister added that he had been struck with the necessity of adjusting the tariff at frequent rather than rare intervale. Conditions altered in two or three years, and they should not wait for 10 years before adjusting their tariff to meet the changed conditions. There were quite a number of anomalies in the tariff. He did not know whether the Government intended to alter it this year, but he thought they should. He thought that the proposal of the deputation was a good one. The labour conditions were practically identical, and he did not thank that any reasonable man could object to the proposal made. He hoped to get the Government to agree with it. and to get Australia to see it in the same light. Mr Booth made a suggestion that the return of imports of agricultural machinery should be more paticulavised in the Blue Book, a.s it was difficult under the present system of compiling the return to separate agricultural machinery from genera] machinery. The Minister said that if this could be done it would be done. He thanked Mr Booth .for the kind personal reference he had made at the opening of his remarks. In these days a reference such as that came very acceptable. He fully realised that it was impossble for them all to see eye to eye on political subjects, but he thought that on the bulk" of subjects reasonable mem could agree. He hoped that during his term of office he would be able to do some good for the industries of this country.