DUTY ON GERMAN GOODS

Hokitika Guardian, 15 October 1923, Page 4

DUTY ON GERMAN GOODS

I 1 ('HAMMER OF COMM Eli UK ALLEGATION'S. 'r M.INISTER OF ! CSTO.MS REPLIES WELLINGTON. Dm. 11. ,1 A denial is given by die Mini-tei of i Custom*, the iloii V. I townie Sl-.oirt, to an aihen'iou oi I lie Pi'c-idmii of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce that the Government has been careless in failing to make a deduction on account of reparations from the invoitt I price oi German good*. During the course ol Ids reply, ihe Minister'says : "The Canterbury Chamber of C.nunierce discussed this week the terms on w hich goods can he txported from Germany to England a® compared with ihe terms ol *.spoil from Germany to New Zealand. 'I heir aiiention had been drawn to the but that on sales to En.;bind. a reduction of 2(> per cent of 'lie invoice price i as to he paid L.y the English importer to the English Government on no oom I of reparations. A complaint i- »t;o!- | that we have been asleep in N<■ w Ay,, j land and have missed a chain c ■.t col-i hating 2d per cent ol the value ot German imports into this eniinlry. "This mat ter ha- mil: been overlooked in New Zealand," "ays Mi Stewart, "it was carefully gone mlo a considerable time ago, and a full statement prepared fur the Prime Miu-i-ter to enable him to discuss ifi* que.siioit at the Economic ( onlerenee. The general question of l lie meiliod: of recovering rejiaratioii moneys through Custom* m otherwise is one on which the New Zealand Governmeld would art onlv aider eoiisiiltalion wiih lie IbiiiMi Governiueiii. "It was also alleged at llte ( hamher d ( oiuiueree that by neglecting to collect this 2(1 per cent, goods tint, 1 Germany sell* to England for ClOil may be dumped on in the New Zealand 1 market for C7l and ihe seller still I makes the same profit as if Ig. ]m,l *,,),] I in an English firm lor the full anionui, "From i hi* it seems clear that [lm 1 ( liamher oj Commertv misapprehends ihe ell eft of the sy.*leni ill force ill 1 England. The collection of 2d per ' font would not act in ally wav iis n * dc)ircciated currency duty as the im- t porter pays no more lor the goods, by reason of the eoinpubm-y deduct ion ot 2b per cent, lie pays C 7! to the f.erinan exporter and !_'2<i to (he * Government, hut in addition I under- 1 stand that the German exporter re ' reives a credit note for presentation ' !o his own Government for the amount '

deducted and this amount is recoverable by him, thus making up hi* full "ale price of C 100.”