UNTAPPED WEALTH

Waikato Independent, Volume XXXI, Issue 2778, 21 November 1931, Page 2 (Supplement)

UNTAPPED WEALTH

LICENSES FOR FOREIGN BUSINESS TRAVELLERS ?

" There is one thing which I am exceedingly sorry has not been introduced to-day, and that is the question of the imposition of a license on travellers who come to this country," said Mr Gibson, M.P., in a speech in the House of Commons prior to the general election. "If I go to Norway on a business trip I have to pay £5 for a traveller's license. If I g*o to Sweden I pay £5. If I go to Finland I pay £2O; and if I go to Denmark I pay £2O. Why should our travellers have to pay these large amounts on going to those countries when thousands of travellers come to this country without having to pay anything for a similar privilege ? "It is estimated that if these licenses were charged against travellers coming to this country we could quite easily raise over £1,000,000 a year. There would be no difficulty in obtaining the money, and the work could be done thrpugh the post offices and the licensing authorities. • I hope that on future occasions this matter will be taken into consideration."