Control of Duties

Waipukurau Press, Volume XXII, Issue 288, 19 November 1928, Page 3

Control of Duties

SAFEGUARDING OF INDUSTRIES

PERMANENT TRIBUNAL

(British Official Wireless). RUGBY, Nov. 17. An outstanding feature of the new

procedure under the Safeguarding of Industries Act, which was outlined in thp House of Commons last night, and which will become effective after the general election if the Government is returned to power, is that instead of of ad hoc committees in respect of each application for the position of safeguarding duties, a permanent tribunal is to be established for that purpose.

It is generally agreed that that •will give the findings of the tribunal

additional weight and will standardise procedure. It was, however, pointed out by the Prime Minister in

the speech with which the Commons debate was concluded, that this naturally will not affect in the slightest ’ degree the responsibility of the Government or of Parliament, with which the ultimate decision will rest. This, said Mr Baldwin, was a very big check against the Government's using safeguarding schemes to introduce protection.

Every duty that was recommended

would be argued on the floor of the House of Commons, and if at any time the House of Commons felt that the Government was getting near the danger point, they could raise the matter.

Less Expensive ai -d Less Obstructive.

In several other respects the new procedure will differ from the old, with the general intention of making it less expensive and less obstructive, but at the same time more searching. /The newspapers attach importance to several variations in the conditions which at present govern the tribunal in granting applications. It is proposed under the new conditions that imports of foreign goods of the description to which the applications relate are to be “in quantities substantial in proportion to domestic consumption.” At present the requirement made on this point is that imports should be “in abnormal quantities.”

Another new consideration by which the tribunal will be guided is as to whether as a result of the duty, industry in this country would materially increase its output. The tribunal must also take into account the question as to whether the imposition of the duty would exert seriously an adverse effect on employment with regard to costs of production in any other productive industry, including agriculture. This provision is a complete departure from the present procedure. Other alterations introduced are mainly verbal in character, and two stipulations governing present procedure are omitted from those outlined last night. These impose upon the tribunal the necessity of inquiring whether the applicant’s industry is of substantial importance and whether foreign imported goods are sold at prices which are below those at which similar goods could be profitably manufactured or produced in the United Kingdom.

Iron and Steel Trades.

The Rt. Hon. Sir Laming Worthing-ton-Evans, who unfolded the Governjnent proposals in the House of Commons, made special reference to the and steel trades, for the safe--1 guarding of which some representations were made at the recent annual 1 conference of the Conservative party. He said that a test case had been put forward now by the steel trade, , which showed that its low output precluded that industry in this country from international competition. The industry’s output capacity was many times larger than the actual ’ output in individual steel works, lie said, and if that output could be ( brought up to something like capacity, the reduction in cost would be very considerable. There would also be considerable improvement in employment in that industry, he continued, and in the coal and iron industries as well. Their case was that discussions might be avoided by their being able so to reduce costs that they could bring with them the support of the users of steel. That use had never been considered. It was a case for investigation by a tribunal, and had not yet been proved.