AMENDMENTS PROPOSED

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1934, Page 7

AMENDMENTS PROPOSED

DUTIES ON WHEAT AND FLOUR

MR. WILKINSON’S INTENTIONS.

THE FEELING AMONG MEMBERS.

MAJORITY SUPPORTS DUTIES.

(By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night.

Wheat was a word which fell from the mouth of practically every one of the 20 members of the House of Representatives who took part in the preliminary discussion in the committee stage of the Customs Bill. Obviously a large majority was in favour of the retention of the sliding scale of . duties, but nevertheless Mr. C. A. Wilkinson circulated amendments which he proposed to move later. The amendments have been arranged in alternative form, one providing for the complete abolition of the duties on wheat and flour and the other to provide a British preferential duty of 2s Id per cental and 2s lid per cental foreign, while on British flour he proposes a duty of £2 10s per ton of 20001 b., and on foreign flour £3 10s. Mr. Wilkinson has also another four amendments designed to make the import of British furs free; British chinaware and cements free, British knives free, and the free entry of sugar used for feeding bees, whatever the source. Led by Mr. H. S. S. Kyle, Canterbury members stoutly defended the duties, and they were backed up by members of the Labour Party, who took the view that protection for the wheat grower should be provided and that any fault concerning the price of bread should be attributed to the intermediary processes. During the afternoon Mr. Coates spoke for nearly two hours in replying to the financial debate, his remarks being purposely prolonged to enable the amending Customs resolutions to be brought down at 4.30 p.m., when the Customs houses had closed for the day.