IMPORT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1934, Page 5

IMPORT OF MOTOR VEHICLES

ASSEMBLY WITHIN DOMINION. POWER TO FIX THE CONDITIONS. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night Power to fix conditions in connection with the importation into New Zealand of unassembled parts of motor vehicles is given the Minister of Customs in amending legislation submitted to the House of Representatives to-night. The Minister is authorised by way of Gazette notice to determine the goods which may "be entered under the re-, vised tariff as motor vehicles, unassembled or completely knocked down, and similarly to determine the conditions under which those goods are to be imported and the purposes for which they are to be used. A fine .of £lOO or three times the value of the goods, whichever is the greater, is the penalty prescribed for those who ,enter goods not entitled to be so entered, or who use them otherwise in accordance with the determination of the Minister. As an explanation of the provision the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Customs, read to the House the following memorandum: “It is necessary that the list of goods which are to be admitted as unassembled or completely knocked down motor vehicles should be published for the information of the general public. It is considered that in the initial stages it will not be advisable as a condition of the admission of goods at the lower rate to insist upon the maximum amount of assembly work that could possibly be performed. Here the policy should be rather to insist at the commencement upon the minimum of work which must be carried on in the Dominion and by degrees modify the definition of unassembled or completely knocked down cars so that an increasing amount of local labour and materials may be utilised in New Zealand. “In these circumstances it is obvious that it is not possible to set out a list of the goods in the Act, and it is therefore necessary that authority should be conferred on the Minister to determine from time to time - the goods which may be entered as unassembled or completely knocked down motor-vehicles. The experience of the Administration in dealing with this matter has been hitherto limited to cases in which the same rate of duty applied both to the complete vehicle and to unassembled parts. Now that the rates are different and as the conditions under which those parts will be imported and the purposes for which they may be used are not fully known, it is necessary to take power to ensure that the intention of the proposals is carried out.” Mr. D. G. Sullivan (Lab., Avon) said he wondered whether the proposals regarding motor bodies was wise, as the position was that there was an inducement for the erection of motor assembly plants, and he wondered if the proposals that were being brought down would retard that development. He thought there would not be the same enthusiasm on the part of firms to erect plants. _