TIMBER FOE FRUIT CASES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20171, 25 February 1931, Page 12

TIMBER FOE FRUIT CASES.

COOK ISLANDS' SUPPLY., AS ANOMALY ALLEGED. ' [THE FBEBS Special Berries] - WELLINGTON, February 24. A eomplaint that an anomaly existed " in favour of overseas competition, in regard to the supply of fruit-case timber to the Cook Islands for packing citrus * fruit and tomatoes, was made by a Christehurch company in a letter received by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce this evening. The letter stated that during the past year-the Government advanced the tariff on imported dressed timbers to 19s per 100 feet super, and to 9s 6d per 100 , feet for rough sawn timber; yet the Cook Islands growers paid no duty on *' American cases. The company said that It had had considerable trade with the Cook Islands through fruit merchants in ' the main centres; but owing to the Cut that the Cook Islands traders had " up to the present been entitled to a ' drawback of the duty, American cases 3 eoold be landed cheaper in the Islands ' than those supplied by New Zealand, " ud an extraordinary position had arisen whereby the Cook Islander could as soon J u lui fruit case was packed obtain a ~ drawback of the duty on exporting the iroit to the only market 'which was available to him—New Zealand. £ ."Ab we have pointed out' to the ~ Xialfter'in Charge of this Department, ■ sot i? na ease of fruit would be permitted ~ to land in American territory, nor would *!. fruit paeked in American cases in the Auckland province be subject to a t drawback of the duty if shipped to -- WeHiagton," continued the letter. "It £ is hoped, in drawing .the attention of Z the C«»mbera ofCommerce to thja mat-1 "■ ter,th& during the fortheoming session *' . ijs ,RWsinire..inay . be * brought to * reali»fthai, whereas; at one time., it >1 jbeen to grant tjw favoured treatment .in ■' - *.tn' yMa.: it must fee, obTiouSftfcat with the whole of. the »up- -* piwa av*sJ»ble from New Zealand .the * Jfrawbaek of ** arifc*34j-to <jh«f American box-cutting in- * dmi>>W|ier; «¥>. it. ia the poliey of * Uaited States to exclude tjie fruit * product* 9* every, other country, it that such asubsidy * sfeouldbe to the detriment of % Mi» which., the fruit is sold, 1 incidentally supplies 1 the

WOOL MARKET. THE SYDNEY SALES. \ Prices vert firm. (VKITKS ■ SRSSS ABBOCIATIOS—B* ELBCTBIC ' ■ TBtKOEATHr-COrXKIOHT.) (Received February 24th, 9.40 p.m.) SYDNEY, February .24. At;,. the wool sales,; the • offerings totalled 9867 bales, of which 9509' were sold, also 1128 bales which" were disposed of privately/. The market was unchanged from, the previous day, and prices'were very firm for .all '.descriptions. Competition was keen. Greasy merino mado up to 20Jd. - WOOL MARKET. TOPS AT BRADFORD FIRM, v (T7HITJUJ PRESS ASSOCIATION—BT BKECTXIC TELEOBAPH—COPXBIaHT.) (Received February 24th, 7.15 p.m.) • LONDON, February 28. At Bradford tops are firm. Spinners are endeavouring to keep the market levelj only following, with anything advancing ' and difficult to obtain. • . .. i ■—' ' l NORTH BROKEN HILL. :\" J V QUARTERLY J>IVIDEND PASSED. 1 <raara < amocuxkw mwii* ) , c uWJCLLINGTON.-February 24. ; ~ The secretary, of the fiftock Exchange Assopiationfyosterday'received the f£l- ! lowing i cable "fjfftn the secretary, of* I North- Broken., Limited:— In . jconsequepoe. of continued low metal prices t&a Board of; Directors of .North 'Broken. r li^ited, : regr«t they are unable *4o * a dividend for" ending Mqrch 81st., \ *My *\ * * •/ r % " * ' \ Tjie l aboye'","intijnatiqn ' indicates 'a tnai*k£d~ dUferenpa;; in' profits'-' compared with . J The Quarterly 'wero; 15 per cent, in D®CTrat»r*, ,12 i 5 per," cent: in, Mfirch, 7fbefc:iwt,' mKTiwe, ,Md, 5 oeirtr i* fifst^urf of'the correrit year (November), 8} inst.-15.p<ar. ■: P f a dividends institute, a, je, bjnd—»4o : cent; in qSpercent*. an^hnportamountSg FAICH FINANCE. ',,*n J< "• : t' « voluntary scheme proencft in Chriatcllurch, to enable'fanners iSUi^tri^d- 'credit t«t jrifeiato on ueir/JiaTins' and. maintain production, Jguxck'! Jflaeed before tho Wellington Cntiuiiw ot Commerce last evening. It put 4ecita<L to support tie schoinc CONFERENCE. ' ' OP SURPLUS. ' {ReceivediFebruary >24th, 7.20 p.m.) . PARIS, February 33. Tbq European 'Wheat Conference, outcome''oi ,M. Briand's European scheme, met in camera to the'possibilities of distributing JSoropo's surplus wheat among the nations in exchange for and manufactures. Twentyfom 1 European nations, excluding Russia, trere .-represented. .As 'the French Foreigit'-Office refused to admit { Australian and Canadian observers,' the British delegation watched their ' jnterdstri. , The United States and were not represented. Buynations offejred to Help to'finance .thplpeo(Jy wheatrgroWina peoples—RuPoland, Jugo-Slavia, . ap,fl 1 Hungary—pyt refused to buy wheat, on the ground" that DanuSiiihN. vm& ' incomparably < richer in quality than. Australian or Canadian Was needed to bring their own {jzaiP'.np to average quality. , '' ■ v f ENGLISH QUOTATIONS. ;«uec«io >; f;; in' qHiS^i^emSicd,