TARIFF CHANGES

Southland Times, Issue 22378, 18 July 1934, Page 8

TARIFF CHANGES

COMMISSION’S REPORT A WEARY DEBATE DUTIES ON WHEAT (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, July 17. Dragging its way wearily through the day. the debate on the report of the Tariff Commission was not concluded to-night. When the time for the adjournment came, a Labour speaker was on his feet vigorously criticizing the new tariff and predicting disaster for New Zealand and as a result the debate on the report will be resumed on Wednesday afternoon and in the evening private members’ Bills, including the Auckland Metropolitan Milk Repeal Bill, concerning which an additional widely signed petition was received today, will be considered. The Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes stated that he did not propose to take Wednesdays for Government business yet. Mr M. J. Savage: You would not know w’»t to do with them if you had them. The main interest centred in the discussion on the sliding scale of duties on wheat. Several Labour speakers had supported the retention of duties and an effort was made by Mr A. Harris to extract from the Opposition its official policy on this issue. It. was clear there was a division of opinion in the Labour ranks on the subject, each Opposition member’s views being coloured by the location of his electorate. Thus it was that Christchurch Labour speakers were just as strong on the side of the sliding scale as, for instance, Mr H. S. Kyle, while northern Oppositionists were just as opposed to them as Messrs C. A. Wilkinson or A. J. Stallworthy. Twelve members spoke during the day and there was only one in complete favour of the new tariff, that was a member of the Ministry, the Hon. E A .Ransom, who was the only member of Cabinet to speak during the whole debate.