A STRANGE MISTAKE.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6511, 9 January 1882, Page 5

A STRANGE MISTAKE.

A sudden and unexpected discovery (writes the Adelaide correspondent of the Argus) has been made that a number of articles, which have been coming in free these five years past, ought to have been paying dnty all the time. Who claims credit for the discovery has not yet transpired, but the announcement, with the added intimation that the Customs’ authorities intend charging the duty on and after March 15 next, has caused quite a flutter among the mercantile and trading community of the city. The present Customs’ tariff was brought into operation by the Act which was passed in 1876; and some three years ago an official handbook was issued by the authorities with a view of avoiding misapprehension as to what goods came in free and what did not. According to this hand-book, iron and brass cuttings, wronght-iron, British plate, Britannia metalware, nickel silver goods, gelatines, isinglass, anti-fouling composition,trusses,parchment,cardboard, writing paper, tissue paper, blotting paper, ink erasers, writing ink, ink powder, printing ink, marking ink, slates and slate pencils, shooks and staves, boats, refrigerators, bench screws, wooden hoops, mangles, oars, Parian marble goods, transfer ornaments, wigs, whipcord, plain galvanised iron, oatmeal, groats, patent barley, oocoanuts, sock lining, and roofing slates are free, and as a matter of fact they have been admitted free ever since the Customs Act of 1876 Came into force, but the Treasurer and the Collector of Customs have now discovered that they ought to have been paying duty—mostly an ad valorem duty of 10 per cent, but in some instances a fixed duty of from 10 to 33k per cent upon the value of the articles. It is thought in many quarters that the Government are making a mistake in allowing the Customs officials to make the proposed change without remitting the matter to Parliament. Three months’ notice being given, merchants will have time enough to import sufficient supplies to tide them over several months, so that the current year’s revenue will gain very little by the alteration. Under these circumstances, and as it is understood the tariff is to be considered next session, the whole subject might have been postponed until after the meeting of Parliament. There is a rumour that the reason why this is not done is because the Ministry are anxious to give protection a push ahead, but I don’t think there can be much truth in it, seeing that the Treasurer is a freetrader. But, certainly it is difficult to fathom the mind of the authorities. Our tariff is irksome enough now, but with 70 fresh lines added to it, the income on some of which is trifling in the extreme, it will be still more harassing. There would appear to be the elements of a row in Parliament over the matter if the power of the collector of Customs to enforce the additional duties be not put to the test before the advent of the next session.