CUSTOMS WORK.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1771, 9 June 1913, Page 6

CUSTOMS WORK.

A NEW DEPARTURE. BIG SAVING IN REVENUE. In November of last 'year Mr. H,. B. Sponce, previously Collector of Customs at Invereargill, waa dispatched to London by tho Minister for Customs (tlio Hon. P. M. B. Pisher) to represent the New Zealand Customs Department'in Great Britain, and to conduct investigations on its behalf. Tho appointment of a Customs agent in London was a 'new departure 60 far os New Zealand was concerned, although tho Commonwealth Customs Department has maintained a Email, London agency for some time past. activities in which Mr. Spenco engaged, 'on behalf of his Department, up to March 31 last, are outlined in a report which ho has furnished to tho Minister. _ Mr. Spenco reports that lie left Wellington on September 20 last, in pursuance of his instructions from tho Minister, and after making somo inquiries in the Commonwealth and getting, into touch with the Australian Customs officials, reached Lbndon on November 2. He, has since obtained a suitablo office close to Victoria Street. Mr/ Spenco goes on to state that hi 3 reception at tho hands of tho many firms ho has visited has been of the most courteous and cordial nature. In over ninety por cent, of tho cases he has dealt with, ho states, he has been accorded every facility to gain nccessary information to settle up tho difiiculty-that has arisen. Price lists have been produced Teadily. and firms' trading books and accounts have been placed at his disposal. "In no case." the report continues, 'have I actually been refused any information whatever, though in a few isolated cases the information has been of a verbal nature only, and unsupported by documentary evidence. In all these cases, I ■have reported to the Secretary of Customs, giving my opinion as to the bona- . fides or otherwise of the non-production of documents."

Mr. Spence states that in his , dealings with buyers for, and shippers to, New Zealand, he found amongst these gentlemen 11' very lively satisfaction at the action of the New Zealand.Government in appointing a Customs officer to London, There were frequently obsenro points arising upon which no satisfactory light could be shed by tho High Commissioner's office. At the same time, the agent places on record tho care and attention given by that office to Customs questions, but, of course, ho adds, someof tho technical points wer6 outside their province, and 80 they rightly confined themselves, so far as ho know, to giving information on points upon which there was no doubt. Since his arrival, many papers from tho High Commissioner's office had been referred to kirn. In fact, any that wero outside the beaten track of the tariff wero sent to him to be minuted.

"I liavo on many occasions been grnti-1 fied to find the high estimation in which | the trade of New Zealand is held in this country," Mr. Spenco continues. "Taking it proportionally with that of the world, it looks comparatively small, but it is very much appreciated by most manufacturers with whom I havo had dealings. A very high opinion is likewise held by them in respect of the business methods and integrity of tho' merchants and importers of New Zealand. I men. tion these factg as it is gratifying to find them being expressed on this side of the globe. In many instances wonder has been expressed at the volume of New Zealand trade when its population is taken into account. I havo lost no opportunity of placing New Zealand before them in a favourable light, not only from a business point of view, but as a country worth visiting or settling down in. One gentleman of over forty-years' experience as a buying and shipping agent, bore eloquent testimony to the benefit accruing to English manufacture by tho New Zealand preferential tariff, and, generally speaking, this was echoed more or less by most. of the manufacturers I have seen." Mr. states that in conducting his investigations he had endeavoured to show his clients that he was not tliero as a spy, but simply to investigate any legitimate case referred to him from New Zealand, or matters coming under bis notice in Great Britain that seemed to affect, his Department's interests. Ho add 9 that ho believes it quite within the mark to say that recommendations ho has been enabled to make as a result of his inquiries will benefit the New Zealand Customs revenue by some four or five thousand pounds per annum. Besides this, there wero many cases looked into which wero found to require no further action. "I must state, in justice to those concerned," Mr. ■ Spence continues, "that in no case have I found or seen any evidence of an intention to assist in any direct fraud on the revenue." The differences, wherever they occur, are mostly accounted for by tho lack of knowledge of technical points in connection with tho working of the New Zealand ad valorem tariff. "In tho case of preferential goods/' the agent Telnarks, I found a very wido misconceptipn on tho-per cent, basis for composite articles of part foreign and part British -make.'" Mr. Spence states that he was received •with every courtesy by tho Secretary of Customs, London, and has been permitted ■bo investigate the internal working of the British 'Customs. So far he has .only found time to go through tlio examining officers' department, but he hopes, in due tourse, to find time to do the others and on, completion to report fully to his department on the procedure and practice of the Imperial Customs. Mr. Spence states that he has-been promised any necessary assistant by. the Director of Commercial Intelligence in the Board of Trade, and has entered into a working Arrangement with tho Australian Customs officers, of whom there are two; in London. • , • Statistical tables appended to the;.report show that besides dealing with many minor matters in the period under' review, Mr. Spence investigated lot more important cases, with the result that in 111 instances the investigations havo resulted in a direct gain to New Zealand, while ill 27 cases investigations have verified facts already in the possession of the ■Department, and 1G cases havo not yet been cleared up.