TRADE WITH ENEMY

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2859, 25 August 1916, Page 6

TRADE WITH ENEMY

GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS

APPROVAL OF INVOICES

HIGH COMMISSIONER TO ACT

A telegram has boon received b,y the secretary of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce from the Attorney-General (the Hon. A. L. Herdman) ; in reply to tho Chamber's suggestion in regard to preventing trade with tho enemy, that official agents should he appointed by the New Zealand Government in overseas shipping centres with authority to grant trading permits which would be accepted by the Dominion Customs authorities. This 'suggestion was contained in a.resolution passed by the Chamber, and was intended as a counterproposal to the provision in the war regulations, which requires importers to obtain liconses before importing goods from foreign countries other than tho United States, a scheme which tho Chamber regarded' as ■unworkable.

The telegram from Mr. Herdman stated that the Government had cabled' to the High .Commissioner in London requesting him to endeavour to arrange that tho invoices of Home agents who are acting for New Zealand buyers shall bo submitted to him for approval. In regard to those cases in which the New Zealand firms allow their orders to be placed by their Home agents with firms chosen by the latter, the Government suggests that before such orders are placed the agents should submit the names of the firms chosen for tho approval of the High Commissioner. Discussing this telegram, Mr.,E. Anderson, president of the Chamber of Commerce, pointed out that the Government proposals were to the effect that the High Commissioner should act in the capacity which the Chamber suggested should b© given to official agents in overseas shipping centres. As refards cases in which Now Zealand rms placed orders with firms in foreign countries—for example,' Japan—without the medium of an agent, the firm placing the order would have to obtain a license as required by the regulations. In other cases tho High Commissioner's approval of the firm with which the order was placed would satisfy the law, Sir. Anderson added that as this was a, matter of importance to traders it was satisfactory to know that the Government wa-s taking steps to meet the objections made by local importers.