More May Have To Be Paid For Crockery

Chronicle (Levin), 19 January 1949, Page 3

More May Have To Be Paid For Crockery

WELLINGTON, Jan. 18. The claim that New Zealand consumers would have to pay a substantial indirect tax. for their crockery requirements because of the curtailment of pottery importatiohs from the United Kingdom is made by an importer of these goods. He quoted the following differences in retail prices of English and locallymade crockery: Plain white cups and saueers, English 2s, local 3s 9d; white and gold cups and saueers, English 2s 9d, local 4s 9d; cheap decorated litho cups and saueers, English 3s 9d, local 4s lld; plates, 7in, English ls 3d, local 2s 6d; lOin, English 2s 5d, local 3s 8d. He estimated that even if the difference between the retail prices were only ls a pieee, which was far lesfc tlian the actual dift'erence, the. extra price that housewives, . restaurants, canteens, etc., would have to pay for the 1949 production in New Zealand of the expected 12,000,000 pieces would be £000,000. "Even if a third of this were exported, which is highly improbable, New Zealand consumers will have to pay in the vicinity of £400,000 indirect tax because of the discontiuuance of iniports from Englaud under the Government's import Iicensiug policy," he said. In addition the English product is of niuch better quality.