IMPORTED FLOUR.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 31 December 1926, Page 8

IMPORTED FLOUR.

FALSE DECLARATIONS ALLEGED MR D. JONES M.P., SUGGESTS A REMEDY. The Hon. W. Downie Stewart, Minister of Customs, who is at present spending a brief holiday at Temuka, is in receipt of the following letter from Mr D. Jones M.P., for Kaiapoi, in reference to the dumping of Australian flour into New Zealand: — “I. discussed the question of flourdumping from Australia with the Hon. 0. liaw’ken on Saturday last, and lie mentioned tho difficulty of securing evidence, which I appreciate. The system at present is that every invoice for flour coming into the Doitiiuion has a declaration stating that the invoifce price is the current price for home consumption at the time of shipment, and I understand this declaration is acceptor! by the Customs Department ot New Zealand. I am satisfied that inmany cases these declarations are false —probably signing the declaration has become a matter of form —and I can seo the difficulty of checking them with any degree of accuracy. “Considerable quantities of flour are now being purchased in Australia for shipment to the Dominion, which are depreciating the value of next season’s wheat crop, and the most is being made of this by- interested parties. Parliament has given the wheatglower protection, and he is entitled to be safeguarded against unfair tactics. I would suggest for your consideration the following remedy : “That in future all invoices bearing the declaration above referred to must be endorsed bv the New Zealand Gov-, eminent trade official in Australia, who would then make it his business to know Australian prices. Such a method would secure at the port of shipment a valuable protection, both to the farmer and the Customs Department. Tho Commonwealth, could not take any exception to' such a line of action, because they refuse to accept New Zea-| land inspection of potatoes prior to ( shipment and reserve the right of re-j jection at tho port of entry. i ■ “You may, or course, have sufficient evidence already to justify you in putting on a dumping duty immediately, j “I would strongly urge that immediate and effective measures be taken, as the matter is of grave importance to producers.”-