DUMPING

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 31, 31 October 1918, Page 4

DUMPING

AN EVIL ENEMY I'HACTICE. Speakers at tho Associated Chambers of ijommovco Conference yesicruay, including importers who spoite from actual experience, were of tho unmiinious opinion, that the practice of dumping on the part of foreign countries had ueen the chief enemy of British trade in Die past aud if great caro was not taken it would stint all over again. One speaker stated that Germany had for years past built up her export trade on her home trade; that was to eay, that one price whs charged for an article in home trade and much less when it was exported in quantities. By that method Germany had been able to cut into British trade, mil there was little doubt that, giv«a Jho slightest opening, they would do k> lifter the war was over. He knmv of iiis own experience hoiv it was done, not only by Germany, but by America. When the German and English linoleums wore cut off they had tu go to America. In ono line alone they iverc charged ■)>. a yurd when the home price was 10s. 3d. ' Mr. James M'Lellan Wellington) said that he could speak of matters which liad come under his own particular notice in his own line—the metal trade—as bearing cat that tho principle of dumping had been in force for a number of years as a nieoiis of fostering German trade. If largo factories or a combination of factories found they were making more thsui tho home market could take it was a cise of dumping, and the goods were shipped away to be under-sold somewhere or other. Hβ reminded the conferenoß that the value of goous ior duty was under the neir Customs regulations, assessed on the home price, tat pointed out cases where .that was •.ecarctilv equitable. There were instances where l'fl pea- cent, or under oi tho goods manufactured in England or some other countrv were for home -consumption, the rest beV for some fipecial market. In such a 'case was it right to assess the value for duty on what was being rwd for ™ D 10 per cent, rather than on what was bengpaidfortheSOperoent? Ho hardly thouW that was right. He know of cases where hundreds of thousands ot lons of Roods were made for markets abroad and a few thousand lons only sufficed for home-needs.