NEXT YEAR'S IMPORTS

Chronicle (Levin), 14 October 1949, Page 5

NEXT YEAR'S IMPORTS

*res$ Association)

Minister Releases Licensing Schedule

(Per f

WELLINGTON, Oct. 14. The general procedure fpr the issue of import iicences for 1950 was sjmilar to that adopted for the 1949 perio'd, said the Minister of Customs, Mr. Nash, in a statement released to the Press today. The licensing schedule for 1950 «is now available. "Licences* will cover the period January 1 to December 31, but will be available for imports up to February 28, 1951," said the Minister's statement, "Basic allocations have been provided wherever this has been found practicable and, with a view to eliminating the necessity to -apply 1 for additional rlicences, such allocations have ih most cases been related to Iicences granted for imports in 1949. Need To Conserve Funds. "As is doubtless fully recognised," continued the statement, . "the necessity to ponserve -overseas funds to meet essential import requirements gtill exists. It is yet too early to judge the effect j which the recent adjustment in | the value of the pound sterling to the dollar might have on the cost of certain imports, as well as on the return which New Zealand might receive from exports, particularly wool. In the circum- 1 stances it will be evident that there is no scope for any general extension of the issue of Iicences. "It will nevertheless, be the policy,". said Mr. Nash, "to provide for essential needs and all the overseas funds available for that purpose will be utilised. Under existing conditions, however, it is more than ever necessary to utilise our own resourees to a maximum, and so long as goods from our own factories are reasonably com- . petitive in price and quality with imported goods, and can be produced in New Zealand in sufficient quanxity to meet requirements, Iicences will not be granted for imports." Special Care Needed. It would be unnecessary for him 1 to stress, said the Minister's state- 1 ment, the particular difficulty regarding imports from what were known as hard currency areas. "Accordipgly, basic allocations will not apply to iifiports from Canada, ihe United States of America, I Beigium or Switzerland, and any ' applications for Iicences to im- ■ ! port from those countries will be considered individually." There was, he said, an obligation on importers to assist by limiting as : far as practicable applications for Iicences to import from those areas. »

"With respect? to .imports from Canada and the United States, a system of half-yearly Iicences is introduced, this being necessary in order to enable a closer control over commitments of dollar funds to be maintained. Licences on those countries will be issued for the half-yearly periods January 1, 1950, to June 30, 1950, and July 1, 1950, to December 31, 1950. In the meantime i-t is proposed to grant licences for the first halfyearly period only. Importers may, however, submit now applications covering each half-yearly period." "Th^e procedure of granti'ng licences for token imports from the United Kingdom, which was instituted iij 1949, will be continued in 1950. Some additions are made to the items covered by such arrangements, and a list of these may be procured from Collectors of Customs from whom copies of the licensing schedule may also be obtained." Additions To List. The additional list of items in respect of which considera.tion will be given to the granting of licences on a token allocation basis for imports from the United Kingdom is:— Braces, suspenders, garters, belts, and similar articles; ■hot water bags and hot water bottles; rubber tires for bicycles and inner tubes of rubber for pneumatic tires of the following sizes: 28 x 1£, 28 x lf, 26 x 1 f, 26 x 1£, 24 x li, 24 x lf, 27 x 1|; lawnmowers, other than hand roller type^ having cutting blades not exceeding 18 inches in length; lawnmowers of the hand roller type; one to two h.p. standard screen protected three-phase type electric motors; ceiling roses and appliance plugs; electric lamps not peculiar to surgical use, viz., table;amps, reading-lamps, bedside lamps, of stand or clamp type; vacuum cleaners. domestic type; shop twines of cotton and jute. Items deleted from the list are: Labels, and hangers, woven, for clothing and o]ther textile articles, including hanger material, plain or otherwise; woven bandings, bands, tapes, and similar articles (not including arm-bands and hat-bands) , with printed, woven, or embroidered lettering, tradename, or trade-mark, suited for use with apparel (but not boots).