GAS COOKERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3510, 21 June 1921, Page 61

GAS COOKERS

TIIE MINISTER’S . EXPLANATION. WELLINGTON, June 15. The following- communication has L>euii received from the Hon. W. Downie Stewart (Minister of Customs) : Ir, has now been decided to revoke the Order-iii-Couneil relating to gas cookers, as the reason for its continuance has ceased to exist. When the Order-iu-Council was passed the object was io give us time to make inquiries in England. as to whether there was any explanation of apparent cases of dumping. Our cabled reply from England has now been received. It is not entirely satisfactory, but it indicates that instances of dumping that were under review may !>e open to explanation, or were isolated! cases, and not part of a settled policy-. The curious thing is that in spite of all the criticism aimed at the Order-in-CounciL, whenever I have met importers of gas cookers they have expressed themselves as satisfied that our action was reasonable and justifiable. No one has been injured by the Order'-in-Council. The most that has happened is a temporary suspension of some permits until advice could be obtained by cable. The Ordor-in-Council was purely a precautionary measure to enable us to control t.he situation. Had we stopped to make full inquiries before issuing the Ord r in-Council the whole object in view might have been defeated by large dumping contracts being made, while we were still investigating. The chief criticism has been on the broad ground that the use of the Order-in-Council for such a purpose is an arbitrary- exorcise of authority Ivy the Executive. Mv reply to that i-> that as we have no ami-dumping legislation we had to do the Lest wo could without it. Moreover, if the new tariff legislation is to be adapted to suit modern conditions I think it will have to confer more discretionary powers than the past legislation has done. If Parliament refuses such powers, then we must go on with a cast-iron tariff, incapable of adaptation to emergencies.