RECIPROCITY

Southland Times, Issue 19658, 7 October 1922, Page 5

RECIPROCITY

TARIFF WITH AUSTRALIA OATS AND DRIED FRUITS (Special fr> the Times.) WELLINGTON, October € The Minister of Customs (Mr Dowuin Stewart) made a stateinntt concerning tariff matters when the estimates of his department were under consideration in the House of Representatives to-day. He said he could not gauge yet what effect tlte special rates fixed for export to Australia under the reciprocity treaty would have upon the Customs revenue, but he had received information from several quarters showing that, the effect upon trade- and upon New Zealand manufacturing industries was going to be highly beneficial. The mauu* faeturers of chaff cutters in Christchurch, for example, had been able to send their machines into Australia when the duty against them was 33 ; ' per cent, and n»nr that th? duty was lowered they were being overwhelmed with orders from Australia by cable. The pe<>|>le engaged in the fishing and timber industries were \ery pleased. The Minister said be bwri just sent a cablegram to Australia with reference u> tiie attempt he was making to make soma adjustment on items that had been mentioned when the tariff treaty* was before the House. The most important was oats. He had tried to secure the free entry of New Zealand oats into Australia in return for the imposition of the suspended duties on dried fruits from ilia Mediterranean and other foreign countries. His proposal had ben that the duly against Australian oats in this country should b« maintained because some of the tanners here were apprehensive about the effect of opening the Dominion market to Australian oats in certain seasons, although other farmers were prepared to meet open competition. Considerable quantities of New Zealand oats were going into Australia, the Australians were vary anxious to get their dried fruits marketed, continued the Minister, and many communications had been exchanged. He had received last week an offer from the Australian Government to reduce this duty on New Zealand oats from 1/6 to 1/- per cental in return for the imposition of the suspended duly on dried fruits. He was advised by importers that the dried fruits from Australia were of first rate quality and that the Australians really were supplying the New Zealand market now. He was prepared to give the Australians the concession they desired on dried fruits provided that they continued to sell in the New’ Zealand market al reasonable prices without taking advantage of the duty against the foreign fruits. One or two other items had received consideration, said Mr Downie Stewart. The manufacturers of straw brooms in New Zealand bad asked that their protection should be increased front 25 to 30 per cent. The Australians were willing to accept this alteration if New Zealand would agree to admit their asbestos tiles al the British rate. The present duty ori Australian tiles had been imposed to protect a local industry which hail since gone out of existence. He had informed the Australians therefore that New Zealand would accept their asbestos tiles under a 10 per cent duty if they would agree to the slight increase in the duty against Australian straw brooms. The Australians had not consented to any alteration with regard to motor bodies. They apparently believed that if the duty against these was raised they would be unable to compete at all. He lusted to get an answer from Melbourne on all the items next week. The Minister affiled that he could not say yet how the revenue would be affected by the new tariff. Most of the tuijustments had been made with the object ol assisting industries rather than of providing revenue. Concessions had been made to Australia in cases where it seemed that no New Zealand industry would be gravely damaged. The.revenue had not been the prime consideration and the effect upon the revenue was not easy to gauge in advance.