THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 12720, 17 November 1903, Page 5

THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSALS.

HEAVY TAXATION ON FOREIGN

GOODS

(By Telegraph.) The Right Hon. the Premier forwarded last night, by, telegraph, for public information, the text of the Preferential and/Reciprocal Trade Bill, as follows: —

Preferential and Reciprocal Trade.— A Bill intituled an Act to encourage trade with the British Empire by imposing extra duties on certain imports and to provide for reciprocal trade with foreign countries. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of IMevv Zealand, in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: —• 1. Ihe short title of this Act is "The Preferential and Reciprocal Trade Act, 1903," and it shall form part of and be lead together with "The Customs Laws Consolidation Act, 1882' (hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act"). , ii. From and after the passing of this Act there shall be leviable on the several articles mentioned in the schedules hereto attached, not being the produce or manufacture of some part of the British Dominions, in addition to the duties authorised under any tariff for the tme being in force in New Zealand, the following duties—(a) on the articles specified in the tiist schedule hereto an amount equal to the amount paj'able under the said tariff, (b) on the articles specified in the second schedule hereto an amount equal to one-half of the amount payable under the said tariff.

3. From and after'the passing of this Acb there shall be leviable on the several articles mentioned in the third schedule hereto, imported into New Zealand and not being the produce or manufacture of some part of the British Dominions, duties of Customs equal to 20 per .centum of the value for duty as defined by the principal Act or by any Acb amending the principal Act.

4. On the importation of any articles mentioned in any of the schedules hereto, the importer or his agent, in addition to the particulars required by the principal Act to be given on the entry of dutiable goods, shall state to the best of his knowledge, information, and belief the country of which such goods are the produce of manufacture, and shall satisfy the Collector by declaration or otherwise of the truth of such statement.

5. if a Collector has reason to believe that any goods are not the produce or manufacture of the country stated on such entry, ho may detain them for examination, and if after due inquiry he is satisfied that such statement was false, the goods shall be forfeited and dealt with as directed by the principal Act in the case of forfeited goods.

6. With respect to all articles mentioned in tihe schedules hereto, imported into New Zealand after the 30th day of June, 1904, (a) the full duty under this Act shall be payable unless there is produced to the Collector an invoice of the goods haying written or printed thereon a certificate signed by the sender or consignor in such form as may be prescribed by the Commissioner stating that the goods are bona fide the produce or manufacture of some part of the British Dominions named in the certificate, (b) no such invoice .shall relate to any goods other than those to whi<?h the

certificate refers, (c) where such goods are imported in packages, such packages shall not contain any goods other than those specified in the invoice, and if any other goods are found in any 1 such package they snail be forfeited; (d) every importer or agent of an importer who produces any invoice or certificate under this section, knowing the same to be false in any particular, is liable to a fine not exceeding £100, or at the option of the Commissioner to treble the value of the goods specified in such invoice.

7. (1) From and after the 31st dsiy of March, 1904, no duty shall be leviable on tea grown in any part of the British Dominions; (2) the provisions of sections 3 to 5 hereof shall apply to every importation of tea after the date last mentioned. 8. In any proceeding arising under this Act, the onus of proof that any goods are the produce or manufacture of any part of the British Dominions shall be on the importer. 9. The Governor may from time to time, by Order-in-Council gazetted, make regulations for carrying this Act

.into effect, and may. impose fines for the .breach of any such regualtion not exceeding £100.

10. Where any country not being part of the British Dominions reduces or abolishes or proposes to reduce or abolish the duty>on any product or manufacture ,of "New Zealand, the Governor may enter into an agreement with that country to reduce or abolish the duty on any article or articles the. produce or manufacture of such country to an extent that the estimated revenue so re-

mitted shall equal as nearly as possible the estimated revenue remitted by that country, provided that .no such agreement shall have effect until ratified by Parliament.