CUSTOMS SCHEDULES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 141, 1 July 1937, Page 12

CUSTOMS SCHEDULES

Caliing Things By Their Right Names LE'AGUE OF NATION'S WORK After ten years' work, a League commattee has completed a voluminous report which sets out to do nothing less than provide a uniform customs taritf nomenclature for the whole world. The principle that arose under any other name smells as sweet does not apply to labelling goods that have to pass through customs barriers. Endless difficulties and complications for exporters and importers have been created by the fact that such goods are classified and described ditferently in the customs schedules of different countries. The League of Nations Ifoonomic Organisation according|ly set out texi years ago to standardise the systexn of classifying and naming goods. In doing1 so, the experts had to show in their nomenclature everything produced, everything consumed, and all goods entering into trade throughout the world. All of these eommadities were divided into twenty sections and 68 chapters. Within each chapter, the commodities wex-e classified inethodicaily; first come the chief sub-divisions, each of which is given a taritf number, and contains ninety-nine numbers. Where further epecifications are required, these form secondary sub-divi-sions ; in exceptional cases, there may be three or four such sub-divisions. The authors of this unified customs taritf nomenclature had not only to solve the various problems which arose in drawing up their draft classification. There were as well questions of principle for which they had to find a solution as uniform as possible. One of the most important of these was . raised by the question of composite goods; that is to say, commodities into whose production have entered products which are themselves subject to different rates of taritf®, and commodities whose classification is affected by other considerations, suclx as, for example, the condition in which they are shipped or the way in which they are packed. Tlie very considerable work involving in drawing up this classification of goods has geen going on continuously since 1927. Already two volumes have been published on this subject; one containing tho unified customs nomenclature itself and the other giving explanatory notes. A third voluxne will now be prepared containing the latest results of the experts' work. These documents will be communicated to the next sessions of the Eoonomic Committee and Assembly of the League. This classification, which has required some ten years' study, will furnish a useful basis for the preparation of l.ianj systems and customs tariffs. Already a number of countries are preparing to revise their taritf schedules on the basis of the international customs taiiff nomenclature.