DUTY ON CHURNS

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 176, 15 October 1927, Page 12

DUTY ON CHURNS

ELASTICITY IN CUSTOMS SAFEGUARDING DAIRY FARMERS (THE SUN’S Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, Friday. No alteration has been made in the proposed tariff schedule for dairying machinery and churns, which will be admitted free from Britain and will be subject to a 20 per cent, general tariff. Apprehension was voiced by the representatives of the dairying interests, when the item was before the House of Representatives a few days ago, that the general tariff would operate adversely a.gainst them in connection with the importation of Danish churns, and the item was postponed for further consideration. When the item was again readied to-day, during the discussion of the Customs Tariff schedule, the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Downie Stewart, pointed out that the difficulty would be covered by a clause in the Bill giving power to remit the duty on churns not economically made within the British Empire. The Minister said that since the question had last been discussed, he had had a letter from the New Zealand Dairy Association stating that when their representatives had talked it over with him, they understood that they were dealing with testing apparatus. They wished to make it clear that they were not satisfied that they would be sufficiently protected as far as churns were concerned, as the Minister had previously been given to understand. “If the principle of admitting foreign machinery duty free when it is riot made economically in the Empire is sound with regard to testing machinery, it is equally sound for any other dairy machinery. The principle will be interpreted by the Customs Department with the utmost liberality,” concluded the Minister. The Minister said that the New Zealand manufacturer still held the duty for the churns he made, but the Auckland dairy people were afraid that they might have to pay duty on churns from Denmark which they were satisfied were not economically made here. Mr. W. L. Martin, Raglan, said that he was prepared to accept the Minister’s assurance that in the interests of the industry and the producers generally, he would see that no injustice was don?. The Hon. J. A. Young, Minister of Health, and Mr. A. M. Samuel, Ohinemuri, agreed that the primary producer had now nothing to fear.