TARIFF PROPOSALS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16584, 17 November 1921, Page 9

TARIFF PROPOSALS.

• —♦ MANUFACTURERS' OPPOSITION. fPi.it. Press Association.) V ELLINGTON. November 16. j Manufacturers, individually and col- . lectively, are giving much attention to the new tariff, which has dismayed the heads of some important industries. ' At the invitation of the executive of : the Industrial Corporation of New Zealand (an organisation of about seven hundred manufacturers), representatives of the Auckland "Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin Industrial Associations met in Wellington this morning to consider the course of action that should be taken to impress on the Government the necessity for reasonable treatment of New Zealand industries. . Delegates reported that their associations had adopted resolutions against the inclusion of Australia in the first schedule with the United Kingdom, as Australia had given New Zealand less favourable treatment than it had granted to the United States. In the Australian tariff New Zealand was on the same basis as Japan a lid other foreign countries. After reference to the statement that the Government might alter ilie present position with regard to Australia if the Commonwealth continued its present policy in relation to New Zealand, it was remarked that the Government had ‘‘ put the cart before the horse. After Australia had put up a twelve-foot fence against New Zealand, the Dominion Government had left the way open here for Australia. The right action hero would have been to put up a fence the same height as Australia’s, then the barrier hero would have been lowered if Australia, agreed to equal lowering. Now Zealand manufacturers suffered severely from Australian dumping during the past twelve months. As the tariff now stood Australia was practically encouraged to continue dumping. It was stated also that the present treaty, with South Africa’s advantage, was the reason for the lack of shipping facilities from New Zealand to South Africa. Canada also could benefit unduly by being in the same schedule as the United Kingdom, especially when proper attention was given to the fact that large sums of United, States capital were invested in industries in Canada for the purpose of taking advantage of apy preferential treatment of exports from Canada, to other British countriesThe meeting resolved unanimously to urge upon the Government that the United Kingdom alone should be in the first schedule of the tariff and that all other countries should be immediately placed in the third schedule (general). The feeling of the meeting was that this course would be able . 1:o apply fairly the principle of reciprocity in respect to other countries. It was agreed also that preparation of details of defects and anomalies in the tariff should be left to representatives of the various industries concerned, and when trade organisations were completely ready with their case' the full strength of the op-operation would be used in an effort to-obtain justio*-