TARIFF COMMISSION

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 558, 15 June 1933, Page 5

TARIFF COMMISSION

(Press Assn.-

THE EA^MjE^S' VIE-W •TffJB WM!5|PtN PRESRPJTS A LENGTHY DOCU^ENT *W TARIFFS 1 MP.DIFIEP PE.OTECTIOJST

— By Telegrapl), — Copyright).

Wellington^ Wedhesday, The Tariff Commission to-day heard evidence submitted b.y the New Zeal'and Farmers' Union. This takes the for^p, »pf a SJjhstantial document, which traverSpS the whole ^round of the jhsc&,F pbiidies in genef al, and' says the' poiicy ^o'f ;the. Farmers' Union was clearly laid down in the following terms at the first Dominioh Conf erence of the Union ip 1902. — That taxation through the customs should be for the purpose ofraising revenue and not for protective purposes. From that day to this. the union has unswervingly adhered; to this polTcy, which advocates thp. abolition of all thriff duties except those for raising x'eyenue. The statbmeht says: "A tariff policy, to be valid and permanent, must be .bu.ilt up on principle'S, or, at alj> events, must be underlain by some broad principle of policy, otherwise, it cannot be permanent and is ^ source of danger and uncertainty to tho community. The b'urden of pro,tectioh falls on the non-protected interests of the couhtr'y— viz., the farming community, the. professiona,! classes, ahd those employers dnd, workers who are not employed in protected industr'ies. In New Zealand the farmers have to take the world, parity price for their goods. The tariff ean be of little advantage to them, for their prices are .fixed abroaj. They are not affected by what h'aypens here as regards price, but thei^ costs of production are. inaterially ipcreased by the artificial lo'ading of protective duties.

J_ack or Initiative "But we do not advocate that the existing protective tariffs should be removed in toto immediately, as such would result in internal trade chaos. The removal should be gradual, with the definite objective in view of haying them materially reduced beforp the terms of the Ottawa agreement are next considered." The statement goes" on to deal with details of trade, and says, inter afia: "Our secondary industries have not shown the initiative that our farmers have done. Our manufacturers have lcept their eyes fastened on small local markets only to assist them, and in catering for these they have cried out for, and have. obtained, more and rnore protection, with the result that their industries have grown up as hothouse plants. Our manufacturers have failed to put a single line on an export basis." Natural Production After dealing with the manufacturing statistics for 1927, which is taken as the last normal year, the statement says: "We are firmly convinced that less protection will ultimately prove beneficial to our manufacturers, as such will compel them to seek out and concentrate their energies maihly on the production of those lines of goods most suited to New Zealand conditions, and which, through the increased efficiency of manufacture, may he put on an export basis ag^in."