The Hokitika Guardian MONDAY, DECEMBER 5th., 1921. TARIFF COMMISSION REPORT.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 December 1921, Page 2

The Hokitika Guardian MONDAY, DECEMBER sth., 1921. T ARIFF COMMISSION REPORT.

'l'll h report of the I iifill t-(«nmwsion was made arailutble on cveninj,. |t embodies a series of recommendations to tin; Government, some of which are obviously relleetod in the Customs Bill at present before the lUuse. A number of the ]>oints from the Report were given by the I‘rime Minister during Ids speech on the second reading ol the Bill on 1 wesday night. Additional to those already published are a numlier of wluit are termcd, ‘Directions as to policy,’ which

have been summarised as fallows: (1) To extend wherever possible pre fere-nee to Jtritfsh Dominions.

| (2) To provide machinmy to eniiblu the modifieatiou ol the o]H-intion ol the Schedules of the tarilf imposing prej fercntinl surtaxes in respect to coiintries willing to reciprocate with New Zealand and to provide power to im- ! pose special duties upon countries I which are liekl to have unduly penalisjed or discriminated against exports I from New Zealand or against New Zen- | land trade. (3) Not to withdraw any protection ! hitherto granted to industries estabI lished in New Zealand except foe the j most Cogent .reasons, and with the approval of the Government. (4) To indicate where duties might he remitted to reduce the cost of liv-

ing. (5) To indicate what luxuries might, 1 jf necossary, bear higher taxation. , (6) To pbye upon the free list all

Yaw materials which cannot be economically obtained or produepd m New Zealand. (7) To refrain as far as possible from placing duties upon machinery peculiar to any industry, and especially Hie pi iniMy indusfcriw of the country. (8) To provide power to suspend and , to impose duties from time to time | oil the recommendation ot the Popart- j m ,-lit. „f Industries and Commerce, or iitiy body duly authorised by l’arlia- | ment, sm-li suspension or imposition j of duties not to have effect until rati- : lied by Parliament. (9) To provide machinery to prevent dumping or unfair competition with industries established in New Zealand. not To grant protection to new iudostrics only where it can be shown that a- substitute amount of capital is invested, that the industry is fully equipped with Che most modern appli,i iii-c-! • tliat- it.- output is likely to form a reasonable proportion of the total needs of the Dominion and that tin- goods produced arc reasonably coinphraldo with those produced abroad. The need for granting some measure of protection for New Zealand industry against the products of the East where wages are low and the standard ] of living immeasurably below that of the Dominion, is discussed briefly by the Commission in its report. After detailing some of the rates of pay ruling in industry in India, China, and Japan detailing in particular about 7s (id per month for a twelve hour day in the Indian luhc and w*ck factories, tin* report continues: •‘Were the brnshware and bag and sack-making industries efficiently run in the countries referred to, it would .he manifestly impossible lor industries in New Zealand to compete with these conditions and at the same time to enable their employ ecu to maintain European standards of living. We do not, however, know the relative value of productivity of the labour in Eastern countries as compared with our own although it might be fair to assume that where 'the operations are simple and niainlv confined to handwork or simple machine-work, as in the ease of basket-making, or bag and sack-making the country working long hours and at low wages must generally have the advantage. In the evidence submitted to the Commission, there are numerous references to the need tor protection against the products of cheap labour. Many manufacturers contend that the products made by coloured . labour collie into unfair competition j with goods made in New Zealand j under labour conditions regulated by the Arbitration Court. In our opiniontbere is an offectiirc argument for some • measure of protection, and it should lie recognised that while the State takes a prominent part in regulating labour conditions in order to keep the standard of living high, the industries in this country require some recomJiensating advantage, shiclt as tariff protection. We think there is every justification for ntaiiiitaining a high standard of labour conditions.” i