THREE-FOURTHS BRITISH.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 17 November 1924, Page 6

THREE-FOURTHS BRITISH.

PREFERENCE DUTY CLAUSE. The decision of the New Zealand and Australian Governments to. increase from 25 to 75 per cent, the proportion of British material or workmanship necessary to bring mlanu factored goods into the category earning the British preferential duty has led to some discussion of the term “British” in this connection.

In view of the new definition of British 'goods adopted by the Australian Customs Department for the purpose of the preferential tariff, and also in view of the pro,posed granting of a preferential tariff to Canadian goods, a note by the Times Trade and Engineering Supplement on the meaning of the word “British” is of interest. “The difficulty of defining the word ‘British’ is not generally recognised,” says the supplement, “although it is of fundamental importance in all schemes for giving preference, whether by tariff or in other ways.” It goes on to say that the application of British preferential tariff varies in different parts of the Empire. Whereas in Australia preference is only granted to goods produced or manufactured in the United Kingdom, South Africa grants it to those from the Irish Free State and Canada as well, while Canadfa excludes Australia, Newfoundland, Gibraltar, Malta, Cyprus, and HongKong, and New Zealand extends it to all parts of the Empire. It considers that “the only practicable plan so far discovered for differentiating between British and other goods i& to insist that '.a percentage of the total cost — usually 25 per cent. —shall represent. British labour expended on them.” The difficulty of definition always explodes the theories of well-meaning enthusiasts that voluntary preference should be extended to ‘ ‘British’ ’ goods. The difficulty can only be solved by the guarantee of a registered mark of origin. NEW ZEALAND DEFINITION, lire following official definition of “British,” in connection with the preferential duty, has been, given: “British”«> means the British Dominions, including protectorates and any territory for the time being subject to a mandate conferred on His Majesty by the League of Nations, pursuant to the Treaty of Peace with Germany, signed at Versailles on June 28, 1919.