INCREASE SOUGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18206, 29 September 1933, Page 9

INCREASE SOUGHT

EXISTING TARIFFS POINTS FOR COMMISSION CHRISTCHURCH EVIDENCE (Per Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, last night. Printers' ink and printers’ materials, gelatine, and glue, barley and cereal foods, were subjects of evidence before the Tariff Commission to-day. Charles John Morrison, of the firm of Morrison and Morrison, printing ink manufacturers and printers' warehousemen, asked for increased duties on printers’ ink and printers’ roller composition. He asked for the increase because of the heavy taxes levied in Now Zealand, high coastal freight, and the higher wages ruling here. He stated also that his company wished to increase its volume of trade to make possible the lowering of costs. His firm did not manufacture the cheaper grades of printers’ ink such as those used in printing newspapers.

George Francis Davis, director of Davis Gelatine Limited, asked for an increase in duties on gelatine. The present duties were British 2d a lb., or 20 per cent., and foreign 4d a 11>„ or 40 per cent., whichever returned the greater sum, and he asked for an increase to British 2d or 25 per cent., and foreign 4d or 50 per cent. He said that he used New Zealand waste products, and could supply the whole New Zealand market. He wished the duty increased because foreign suppliers picked the eyes out of his market by offering low prices to big customers.

DUTY ON MAIZE. Mr. J. Roberts, union secretary, on behalf of workers in the garment industry, ashed for the maintenance of the present duties on manufactured clothing. He was apprehensive about competition fpom clothing made under sweating conditions by workers in the clothing centres of England. He said these had been a growing load in industry importations' of women’s costumes, coats and frocks purchased in England at the end of flic season at dumping prices. The garments were out of fashion in England and were sold to Colonial buyers at any price they would bring. Mr. C. H. Hewlett and others, on behalf of barley growers, asked that the duties of 2s per cental on barley, and 2s on ground maize, and .Cl on bran ;ind pollard, he reimposed, and that 2s per cental on unground maize be retained. The witnesses pointed out, that during the years 1027-29 when no cereal pig feed was imported, the export of pork increased. When the duty was removed in 1930, and cereal Iced entered freely, export decreased. Importation of Australian barley added Id per lb. to the price of pork, which, with the id difference enjoyed by Denmark by way of freight charges, meant that New Zealand pork was penalised ltd compared with Danish. It was contended that the duty was removed to encourage pig raising, but the removal had not achieved its purpose.