The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1895. CUSTOMS TARIFF.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 114, 6 August 1895, Page 2

The Opunake Times. TUESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1895. CUSTOMS TARIFF.

We are in receipt of the report of Tariff Commission which was appointed to visit the various centres in the colony and take evidence with a view to a revision. The report is a very voluminous one, as it contains all the evidence adduced by the various unions in connection with manufactures, as well as that of persons engaged in the many industries of the colony. The Commission then, on the strength of the evidence obtained, formulated a new tariff and submitted the same to the Government. In their report they propose an increase on certain articles which they anticipate will realise an increased revenue of £100,190. Amongst the articles in every day use on which increases are proposed are : Baking powder, carraway seeds, confectionary, fruit, maccoroni, pearl barley, ales and beer, spirits, coffee essence, syrups, drugs, ready-made clothing, millinery, boots and shoes, glassware, lamps, pipes, paints, brooms. Then comes a list of goods on which a decreased duty is proposed, or they are to be admitted free, and the loss of revenue from this course was estimated at £101,707. Amongst these items appear salt, coffee, tea, sulphur, cotton piece goods, hollauds, tools of husbandry, chaffcutters, corn-crushers, seed-cleaners, nails, fencing wire, kerosene, binder twine, cement (imported by Harbor Boards or County Councils), church furniture, organs, &c., sheep drenches, wool packs. All the lines required by farmers in their calling in the above list are recommended to be free of duty. The Colonal Treasurer has adopted the proposals of the Commission to a certain extent, but has not made the full reductions proposed. On tea, for instance, the past duty was 6d per lb, and the Commission recommended a reduction to 4d, which would entail an estimated loss of £34,032 in revenue. In this item the Government halved the difference and reduced it to sd, so that they will be able to tickle the ears of their supporters with a step towards a free breakfast table. The Commission recommended an increase of 2s per gallon on ale and beer, and Is a gallon on spirits, and this the Government adopted, which is estimated to produce £19,000 extra revenue. Tobacco consumers will be taxed extra to the extent of about £OOOO, so that drinkers and smokers are asked to make up about one-fourth of the reductions which were proposed by the Commission.