TRADERS EXPECT MORE SHORTAGES

Chronicle (Levin), 17 October 1949, Page 7

TRADERS EXPECT MORE SHORTAGES

AUCKLAND, Oct. 15. Imported goods are expected to be in shorter supply in New Zealand next vear in the light of the new impori Jicensing scheduie. Citv business mtin strongly eriticised the scheduie, vvhich thev stated, was little different from fh. 1949 list. It was pointed out that high er prices overseas and the increased re striction on dollar area imports with out compensating quotas from the sterl ing area, would deerease the quality oi goods from overseas. Some of the effects of the 195 scheduie, according to a preliminary studv by business men, are: — Imports of unassambled motor ve hicles will not exceed this year's quota. About 12,000 cars will have been im ported this year, and the motor trade rccently showed that New Zealand required a minimum of 30,000 new carnext year. Some dried fruits are expected to be even more scarce than thev have been. because aliocations have been deferred and no more supplies are expected from Ualifornia. Aliocations of tinned fruit, aps/rt"from pineapple, have also been deferred. The shortage of stockings is expected to continue. Many Lines Oloaked The new scheduie was clescribed as an insult to the entelligence of. the importing and trading community by the president of the Bureau of importers, .Mr K. W. Sinton. He said that it alrnost entirely eliminated all importationfrom the dolJar area, and it was timi that a thorough investigation of impoi tations from that source was conducted in the form of a Roval Commission, a1the public was entitled to know exactl;to whom and t'or what commodities th dollar licences were issued. The great' majority of the hnes list-ed, were stil cloaked under the heading of "con trol" or "deferred," and that svs tem was open to far too much abuse A great variety of imported foodstuffV came under the heading of "deferred" and it was tthe sarue handling of thosr lines last year that had brought about the present shortage of many dried fruits. At a time when Britain was faced with a crisis, importers expected that where goods previouslv imported from the dollar area were available from th United Kingdoni, increased allocationwould be given, but vcrv little consid eration had been given to that aspect. Mr Sinton said that token lieences would be issued again but the public would see verv few of the goods nn ported under tliat heading. Quantities brought in were ko small that the goods were more of a uuisance than an ad vantage to traders this year. Effects of Higher Prices I Importers, he said, would still be per-

mitted only 50 per cent of their 194 s value import ations of china ano earthenware. Basic licences would poi mit only about 271 per cent of thi value of 1938 importations of cutlerv and kitchenware. The new increases in English prices would further reduce thi quantity to be imported. No aliocations were made to import any tvpes of arti ficers' tools from Uanada and the Unice States and no increase in allocation wa.made to perinit importations of similai tools from British countres. "I am dsappoiuted that the saim rigid licensing system remains in spitc of many representations that have been made for more flexibility," said tio,president of the Auckland Chamber oi' Commerce, Mr A. G. Wilson. "The continuation of an arbitrarv item-for item allocation against commoditie--that are permitted to be imported pro cludes merchants from using their por tion of overseas funds to the best ad vantage in the interests of the coun try 's requirements and for balanced stoeks. ' ' Once again there had been far too much delav in the release of the scheduie, said Mr Wilson. In a preliminary examination there appeared to be verv little alteration from the 1949 scheduie, and as all imports from suci. hard currency coimtries as Canada, thiUnited States, Belgium and Switzer land were as expected, control itenis for which special applicatioins had to be made, there did not seem to be anv valid reason why the scheduie could not have beesi released months ago to en able 1950 requirements to be placed in an orderelv mannr.