CANADIAN TARIFF.

Waikato Times, Volume 109, Issue 18345, 3 June 1931, Page 7

CANADIAN TARIFF.

THE GOODS AFFECTED.

NEW AND OLD RATES. STATEMENT BY COMMISSIONER. AUCKLAND, Wednesday. The Canadian Trade Commissioner, Mr C. M. Croft, said the actual effective rate for rubber tyres, 'motor vehicles and engines, which would remain on the old general tariff, on which they were placed last August, would be 38.5 per cent., whereas that of the present general tariff was 53.9 per cent. In that respect Canada retained some advantage. The principal goods now affected were canned salmon, hosiery, rubber shoes, electric batteries and cells, electric stoves, wrapping paper and hardware. The average value of the yearly imports of these goods was £’500,000. The rates of duty on the lines under the new tariff would bo as follows, the previous rates being given in parentheses: Canned salmon, 3d per lb (ljd); hosiery, 50 per cent. (27J per cent.); rubber shoes, 50 per cent. (25 per oent.); electric batteries and cells, 25 per oent (free); electric ranges, 45 per cent. (20 per cent.) ; hardware, 45 per cent. (20 per cent.); ordinary wrapping paper, 10s 6d per owt, or 50 per cent, whichever was. the higher (6s 6d per cwt or 20 per cent.).

importations Last Year. Importations of those lines for the year ended December 31, 1930, were valued as follows: Canned fish, £103,320; hosiery,' £138,234 ; rubber shoes, etc., £.115,612; hardware, £99,486; electric batteries, etc., £50,885; electric ranges, £49,706; wrapping paper, £45,500. The following figures showed the value in the last calendar year of Importations of newsprint, gum boots and Iron and fencing wire, which still remained on the British preferential tariff: Gum boots, £71,310; newsprint. £291,433; barbed fencing wire, £7999; plain fencing wire, £23,307; wire other than fencing wire, £31,967. The total value of importations into New Zealand from Canada for the same period was £3,797,925, compared with £4,794,715 in 1929. The following figures show the value of motorcars, tyres, etc., imported in 1930: Motor-cars, £888,150; parts of vehicles, £39,991; motor-car chassis, £35,022; tyres, £413,707; lorries, trucks, etc., £54,054; chassis for lorries, etc., £J 37,299. There were certain commodities on which Canada never had preference. These included the following, with the value of last year’s importations:— Timber, £75,000; wheat, £47,120; flour, £87,028; plaster of Paris, £21,417; certain parts of agricultural machinery, £33,500.

GOODS IN TRANSIT. BUSINESS MEN CONCERNED. AUCKLAND, Wednesday. At an emergency meeting of the executive of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce yesterday afternoon the following resolution was passed:—“This executive draws the attention of the Prime Minister to the grave hardship that will be inflicted on many importers by the change in the tariff policy toward Canada and it strongly urges that the date should he modified so that goods actually in course of transit on June 1 may come in on the old terms.”

It was stated yesterday that a number of business houses had cabled cancelling orders for Canadian goods to the value of thousands of pounds, but no direct evidence on the point was obtained. A representative of one firm which deals in a wide variety of Canadian merchandise expressed the opinion that most importers would take a little time to consider the position before adopting such a course. In some cases, he considered, they would not be entitled to cancel orders by cablegram, 'Simply for the reason that the duty had been increased.