THE TARIFF ALTERATIONS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 11125, 26 July 1907, Page 4

THE TARIFF ALTERATIONS.

(B'rom our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. The attempt of the Government to evolve a measure of tariff reform has proI duced the usual crop of. deputations from 1 ' persons interested. -The latest came from . tlie retail confectioners, /who waited m • considerable! numbem on tlio Premier and the Minister of Customs yesterday. Mr t G. Shirtcliffe put forward the views of j the deputation clearly and concisely. The . new tariff, he said, would inflict a very . . great hardship on a large body of people. ) According to the last census there are m the colony 36 manufacturers of confectionery, wlio employ 571 hands. On the ; other hand there are about 1100 retailers ■ of confectionery m the colony- with from 5000 to 6000 people altogether dependent, on tlie trade. • The new tariff would pre- j judicially affeot them, especially m tlie : cheaper grades, m regard to which the) ' local manufacturers would be given - a..., large measure of protection, thus prohibiting the importation of considerable quantities of this, class oB goods, the demand for which would not be replaced by the demand- for tlie locally -made article. It • seemed to him, loe. said, _bat the importa- ! tion. of the new duties would offer a' splendid opportunity to local manufac- . turers to exploit the public. The question was* threshed out m. con^derable de- 1 tail by the* deputation. In reply, the Premier said the Government recognised that adjusting the 'tariff was a very difficult . thing to do. From tlie representations » made to the Government the duty on lollies appeared to be unsatisfactory, and, there had been a tendency m different* parts of the colony to get them m at chocolate rates. On examination they < would find that there had been an ■ attempt to classify so as to make things easy for tlie importers and the depaitmen. tal officer^.' and to prevent the almost interminable disputes which had arisen. The intention was to assist tlie local manufacturers with) the object of 'giving increased employment m the colony. However, the Government would give careful consideration to the views of tlie deputation before tliat portion of 1 the Tariff Bill was reached.