TARIFF ON WHEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 3854, 24 January 1928, Page 13

TARIFF ON WHEAT.

ANOMALIES DISCUSSED

.AUCKLAND, January 16 Anomalies m the working of the" tariff on wheat from Australia were discussed at a meeting of the Auckland Grain and .Produce Merchants’ Association. Millers Fu ain i_ brobers ’ and representatives of the Chamber of Commerce were also asked to be present.

xi. K ! r V* H ’ ? rentis >. .who presided, said ~ a ~ when tariff revision was adopted a sliding scale was put on to represent that Australian wheat should alwavs cost 7s 9d landed in New Zealand. At’first it did cost 7s 9d, but since then a very different interpretation had come in and, instead of wheat costing them 7s 9d, it cost 7s lOd and up to Ss 2d. If they bought wheat costing, say, 5s 9d, f.0.b., the tariff would be Is and freight Is, making 7s 9d. At the time of shipment probably the market might have dropped down to 5s 6d -and on the sliding scale they would have to pay an extra 3d a bushel duty. In reply to a question as to how the Customs officials arrived at their estimate ot value, several members said they o- 0 t it irom the Australian ° One member said he had had wheat for which h « Pai t j S l ld , assessed at 5s sd. and another had had wheat costing 6s Id assessed at 5s Bd. The Customs would not accept the value as declared by the shippers. , • J It was unanimously decided to a=k the Comptroller of Customs to accept the f.o.b. invoice price as the current domestic value" Messrs William Pratt and C. M‘CulIpugh were appointed to represent the ymws of the association to the Comptroller in Wellington.