DELAYED DISCHARGE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 40, 10 November 1921, Page 6

DELAYED DISCHARGE

OF CARGO AT HOME PORTS MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE EXPLAINS Replying yesterday to questions asked by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. T. M. Wilford), the Minister of Agriculture said the Government had been informed that there had been delay in the discharge of produce from the Somerset, the Kia Ora, and the Papnroa at Home. "The delay,” he said, "is stated to be due to consignees not taking delivery of meat, thus preventing steamship companies getting at butter. The s.s. Kia Ora did not berth until October 23, and finished discharge of cheese on October 28. In the case of the s.s. Somerset the Government has been advised that 10,000 carcasses unclaimed mutton have been moved from one hold to another to enable dairy produce to be discharged. "The Government is also aware that, owing to a variety of causes, there has been considerable general delay, in unloading ships containing New Zealand refrigerated produce at Home ports, particularly during; the latter part of September and during October, when a number of insulated ships arrived within a few weeks of each other. "It must 'be realised that it is a considerable disadvantage to shipping companies that such delay should occur and so far as the actual work of discharge cf ships is concerned the shipping companies can be trusted to expedite the work as much as possible. Complaints are however, general tnat the multiplicity of marks of meat, and the consequent necessary sorting, are a source of great delay, and information has been received that the fall in the price of produce and slow sale have been responsible for a deliberate delay on the part of consignees in taking delivery to. avoid payment of storage. There has, in addition been congestion of cold-storage space> at the docks. Delay in the delivery of meat ha° considerable effect on the delivery o butter, owing to the necessary stowage of butter. Cheese, which requires to be carried at a special temperature is on most of the liners serving New Zealand■'stowed in special chambers in the tween d-.-cks of the ship, and is discharged first. If consignees aro ready to receive ships can commence delivery of cheese within an hour or so after docking. “Blitter, which is carried frozen, and which is tht- heaviest refrigerated cargo in comparison to space occupied has to bo stowed in the lower holds for the stability of the ship, and cannot be stowed on tile top of frozen meat. The Government has been informed, however, that in the stowage of ships an endeavour is always made to avoid stowage of meat over butter, so as to allow for quick dispatch of butter, and for that purpose wherever possible half holds are allotted for butter, built from the bottom up, (he other.half being allotted for meat. It can be understood that owing to the number of ports at which a ment has in many .cases to be "l otted it is not always possible to arrange this. DEATH DUTIES A CONSOLIDATING BILL. The Death Duties Bill introduced yesterday contains, as stated by the Prime Minister, provisions to close the loophole discovered by the Court in the logialation regarding death duties. The difficulty was occasioned, as the Court pointed out, by reading together the clause in the original Act and the variations contained in the amendments of 1911, 1915, and 1920. The new measure brings these together, and reconciles them. By the new Bill it is provided that where the value of a gift, together with the value of all other gifts made at the same time of within twelve months sub* sequently or previously (whether before or after the passing of the Bill), .by the same donor to the same or any other beneficiary, otherwise than by way of charitable trust: — ... (a) Does not exceed .£lOOO, no gitt duty shall be payable on such gift. . (b) Exceeds £lOOO, but does not exceed .£5OOO, the rate of gift duty phall be 5 per cent, of the value of the gift. (c) Is more than J 25000 but does not exceed .£lO,OOO. the rate shall be per cent, of the value. (d) Exceeds £lO,OOO, the duty shall be 10 per cent, of the value. The duty is to be payable if the interests of the beneficiaries are future interests. Where subsequent’'feifts have made a gift previously, free subject to duty, or have resulted in the rate payable’being removed to a higher scale, the date at which it became so liable is the one to be taken into account for calculating all times, or as the wording of the clause puts it, “the references in this Act to the date of the making of the gift shall, so far as may bo neceasary in their application to any gift so becoming dutiable, or becoming dutiable nt a higher rate, be construed as references to the date on which the gifts became dutiable, or has become subject to the higher rate of gift duty. The final subsection of the consolidating clause stipulates that “This section shall apply with respect to gifts, made before the passing of this Act in the same manner and to the saiDe extent as if it had been incorporated m and formed part of the Death Duties Amendment Act. 1920, and had been passed in lieu of section 5 of that Act."

CONTROL OF SAMOA KING GEORGE’S REPLY TO CHIEFS’ PETITION. Some time ago certain of the Samoan chiefs signed a petition to the King asking that their territory should be transferred from the control of New Zealand to the control of Great Britain. A statement concerning this petition was made in the House of Representatives yesterday by t'ho Prime Minister. “The Governor-General of New Zoealand, acting upon 'the recommendation of his Ministers, duly referred to the Secretary of State for the Colonies, for submission to His Majesty the King, the petition presented by certain of the i'aipules of Western Samoa, praying that the mandate may be transferred from New Zealand to Great Britain, said Mr Massey. “His Majesty has commanded that the petitioners may be assured that ho 'has great love for the Samoans and desires earnestly that they may live in peace and happiness under his protection; that it should be explained to ’them that Germany, having by Article 119 of the Treaty of Versailles renounced all her rights and title over her oversea possessions, the document now regulating the position of Samoa is tho mandate issued by the League of Nations on December 17 1920, under which tho Government of New Zealand has subject to the mandate full power of administration and legislation over Samoa; that neither His Majesty s Government nor the New Zealand Government has any power to alter this mandate and that it is therefore His Majesty’s wish that tho Samoans should in every way co-operate with and assist tho Administration appointed by the New Zealand Government to govern the Islands.’’ HALF-FARE ON RAILWAYS A REQUEST DECLINED. The Minister of Railways has declined, for financial reasons, a request that he should favourably consider'The question of raising the age of those entitled to travel for half-faro from twelve to fourteen years.