EFFECT OF CUSTOMS TARIFF.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 192, 23 August 1900, Page 2

EFFECT OF CUSTOMS TARIFF.

PBB PBUU ABSOGUTIOK. WELLUJOKMr, AugUSt 28, Owing to the removal of the duigt the match faotories here end at Dunedin have closed down. About 130 bands here and 50 or 60 at Dunedia are effected. The Oonferenoe of candlemakers it postponed till to-morrow. LITEB, The Council of the Chamber of Commerce had a meeting to-day to oonefder the tariff proposals. A resolution was passed, '< That while the Chamber had always been in faTour of Freetrader thm Council deprecate! the sudden repeal of duties, under the protection of which industries have come into existence, involving a large expenditure of capital on plant, machinery, etc., end it is calculated to throw out of employment a large amount of labour; they consider ample notioe should be given of the repeal, and provision made for also reducing the dutteson the material! used in the manufacture of the inlthed product on which reduction is nude. , Under any circumstances raw material should be admitted duty free. This Chamber recommends the repeal of i duties on paraffin, wax candles, belts ' and nuts and other parts of machinery." I Another resolution highly approve* of I the ptnny postage proposals. s Auckuxd, August 22. The Chamber of Commerce met to* , day and resolved to join with other ) Chambers in urging the Government . to postpone the amended tariff till j January, inasmuch as the practice in 3 England has been to give notioe when . a reduction is to be made and that i practice has been followed in New South t Wales.

CJHEiaTCHJBCH, August 22, A deputation from the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce waited on the Premier this afternoon with regard to the tariff reductions, and urged that notice should have been given that reductions were contemplated, to that merchants might have cleared their stocks on which duty had been paid* and asked that the changes should not be brought into operation till the stocks were cleared, or that the duty j paid should be refunded. He Premier said that importers had beet given full warning of the changes oontemplated| by the Governor's Speech and the financial Statement last year, and he could not understand how merchant! uad failed to lighten their stocks. The Government had done its be.t to benefit the consumer, but in previous cases che middleman had profited. He could mention cases in which, when taxation was put on, merchants had made large sums of money. He would bring the requests of the deputation before the Cabinet, but pointed oat that the Government had already given the matter very oaref ul oonsiderattoa.