PROCEDURE FOR IMPORTATION

Southland Times, Issue 23716, 14 January 1939, Page 6

PROCEDURE FOR IMPORTATION

Minister Replies To Questions

FULL DETAILS NOT TO BE SUPPLIED FURTHER EXEMPTIONS UNLIKELY (United Press Association) WELLINGTON, January 13. Questions about the applications for import licences raised by a deputation from the New Zealand Importers’ Federation which waited on the Minister of Customs (the Hon. W. Nash) on December 13 were replied to this month by the Minister in a letter which was released for publication today. Excluding points concerning which full publicity has already been given, the Minister writes as follows:— “Urgent orders.—For special requirements pending the issue of licences for the first licensing period collectors of Customs have been authorized to deal with special applications for urgent orders covering essential requirements. “Orders dispatched on December 6.— Consideration will be given to any representations of individual cases where orders were dispatched on December 6.

“Applications in new avenues of business.—As full information as possible should be submitted in support of such ■applications each of which will be carefully considered. “Payment for goods imported on consignment.—No difficulty should be experienced in obtaining foreign exchange required in payment for goods imported before the licensing system came into operation. Any further shipments on a consignment basis will be subject to import licences similarly to other importations and application will require to be made to a trading bank for any remittances in excess of the amount shown in the import licence. PAYMENTS OVERSEAS “Facilities for payment of royalties, and so on.—Applications about such payments not covered by a licence for imported goods may be submitted in the prescribed form through a trading bank for consideration of the Reserve Bank. Similar procedure should be followed for remittances of salaries and expenses of overseas buyers; “Import licences. —The person in whose name goods are entered through I the Customs on importation should .be the applicant for a licence. If an indent agent places an order overseas on behalf of clients and the clients enter the goods then the clients should be the holders of the licences. On the other hand, if the indent agent enters the goods in his own name and sells them on a duty-paid basis he should be the holder of a licence. “Term of the licence.—Full consideration, will be given to special applications for licences covering a longer period than six months where circumstances (e.g. seasonal goods) justify some departure from ordinary procedure.

“Manufacturers’ samples.—These should be the subject of a special application to the Collector of Customs at the time of importation. “As I indicated to the deputation it is not possible to give effect to the suggestion of the publication of lists of prohibited goods, those subject to licence and those for which no licence is required. Certain exemptions have already been created, but it is improbable that any further exemptions will be granted for commercial goods. I think, however, that the information already disseminated should give importers a fair indication of what is required in lodging applications. I may say that the High Commissioner in London and Customs representatives in London and New York as well as the New Zealand Trade Commissioners abroad are also being kept advised as to the position,”