NEW FEDERAL DUTIES.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 8890, 9 August 1907, Page 2

NEW FEDERAL DUTIES.

Press Association Melbourne, August 9.

Tlio now duties come into opera- • tiou to-day. A bounty for iron is provided for, but if it is not earned the duty will be imposed. A duty of iOs per head is imposed on horned cattle, 2s on sheep and 5s on pigs- ‘ Amongst the increases in duties are ; j Tobacco 3d, cigars Del per lb, molasses i Is per cwt, biscuits jMI, paraffine j caudles I%A, cocoa and chocolate IVftl and currants Id per lb,, potted meat 5 per cent, frozen meat Id per lb, preserved milk sweetened lUd. starch jifd, starch flours 2d, and tea in packets Id per lb, blankets la, carpets, bats, caps, cotton and silk piece goods, flue woollen piece goods 30 per cent, galvanised iron corrugated 5, plain 20 per cent. Stripper harvesters are raised from £l3 to £lO each and a duty of £8 is placed on strippers. Duty up to 35 per cent is placed ou machinery, other than agricultural, and the duty ou agricultural is raised to 20 per cent. Wire netting will iiYfuturo carry a duty of 30 per cent and ou kerosene 3d per gallon is imposed. Undressed timber is raised to Is Gd per 100 super foot, laths to 7s Gd per 3000, printed paper to (id per lb, and dtuy of 10 per cent is placed on printing paper. On bicycles the duty is raised to 30 per cent. ,Sir W. Ly.ua estimated tlm revenue for the current Tear at £13.745.000 and the expenditure £5,908,000, the latter showing an increase of £OBI,OOO. among the chief items of the increase being sugar bounties £244,000, “other bounties £25,000, and survey of transcontinental railway £15,000. In the postal department tlio increase will be £182,000, but it is expected that tlio revenue chorefrom will reach £3,190,000 after allowing for an estimated loss of £117.000 ou tho proposed penny postage for half a year. In the Defence Deprtmont provisions made for expenditure of £250,000 ou liar born- and coastal defences, £500,000 on guns, lights and fixed defence, £33,000 foxsmall arms factory, and £IO,OOO for a cordite factory. Ho claimed that the new tariff would give preference to Britain of 11.5 to 11.35 percent on 153 items affecting imports to the extent of £1,250,000. Interviewed after the adjournment Sir W. Lyno said ho estimated tlio increase of duties would moan additional revenue of £BOO,OOO a year but as one month of the current year lias already elapsed ho ositmted the increase for present vonr at £733,000. When the Tariff Bill was brought down lie would provide for now protection.

Altogether nearly 500 items are dealt with under the tariff. In very many instances there lias been appreciable increase, hut a thorough aualvsis is not yet practicable. The debate inis been adjourned till Wednesday. Politicians are reticent until they have had opportunity of more fully examining the tariff. Free trade press characterises tlio. tariff as a return to tiro old "V ictoriau protectionist duties.