THE FEDERAL TARIFF.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 29 November 1901, Page 3

THE FEDERAL TARIFF.

(per press association.—copyright.)

Sydney, Nov 28.

In the Federal House, Kingston carried a proposal to reduce the duty on candles, raw materials and their manufacture, lard and refined animals fat to a penny per pound. Watson carried an amendment reducing the duty on cocoa, chocolate, cocoa and butter caramel to a penny per pound. The duties on coffee, chicory and eggs was carried. The Government agree to withdraw duty of 2s on New Zeaiand oysters after a protest from McMillan, that he considered they had gone far enough in tho way of prohibiting New Zealand produces. The House is still sitting at a late hour, discussing the duties on fruits and vegetables. The petition to Kingston points out that Sydney is tk9 natural entrepot for the Island trade. Tho value of imports from Fiji to New South Wales alone is over 86 per cent of the whole imports from Australia and New Zealand. Since the tariff his been in force, steamers which previously came laden with fresh fruit have arrived practically empty, with the obvious result that steamship owners must either relinquish the trade or so increase the freights as to be unprofitable for Fiji merchants to operate on this market. The duty on Island bananas is absolutely prohibitive. Certainly they are produced in northern Queensland but by Chinese, and it urged that it was not the policy of the Federal Government to encourage aliens to settle in the Commonwealth,

Burns and Philps states that as a result the tariff they are communicating witb New Zealand as they may find it necessary to open a branch there. Eeccived this day at 9 22 a m. Sydney, This Day, The " Daily Telegraph," dealing with the effect of the tariff on the Island trade, says that after all their professions about the Commonwealth guardianship when protesting to Chamberlain against New Zealand's desire to annex Fiji, the Federal Government is doing ab-olutely the most effective thing imaginable to cut the islands adrift and justify their union with New Zealand.

Beceived this day, at 10 13 a.m. Melbourne, This Day. The Eepresentatives sitting concluded at 11 30. Good progress was made in the last few hours, a large number of items being passed unaltered; including linseed meal, cake, hay, chaff, fresh meat, fish, poultry, potted, concentrated meats, potatoes, onions, hops and malt. Turner agreed to special exemptions in regard to frozen meat and linseed. He intended to make oil duties and fruit juices reduced to ninepence a gallon ; honey to threehalfpence a pound. Special preparations for infants and invalids were struck out