RECIPROCITY WITH THE COMMONWEALTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81836, 31 August 1906, Page 3

RECIPROCITY WITH THE COMMONWEALTH.

TREATY BEFORE THE HOUSE. REFERRED TO A COMMITTEE. TERMS OF THE ACREEMENT. Wj are indebted to the Premier for the following t«le«aphed copy of the Beciprocity Treaty, whirh wnx laid be fore the Honae by Sir Joseph yesterday afternoon. |The GcTernment of the colony of New Zealand, and of the Commonwealth of Australia, desiring to promote trad. ' inte:t#ur«« between their rrspec tiye c.' iei as a means of chscr unn .bye agreed to recommend to tKir parliaments reciprocal and prefe tMial concessions in certain custom! duties, upon the following condition!:The respective tariffs to be amended so as to impose duties at the ratenamed in the schedule hereto on articles, the produce or produce im<l manufacture of and imported fron New Zealand and Australia respectively ; no reductions, or increase?, or impositions of duties on articles named in the schedule are to be conceded by either Government to any other cotm try, until tile consent of the other Government has been obtained ; in the event of any such reduction, or increases, or impositions of duties hemp insisted upon by either Parliament, this agreement shall be terminable by the other Parliament on twelve months notice, provided however that this agreement shall not be affected should j Australia or New Zealand, or both, make the reduction of duties necessary to take advantage of the recent South African Customs' Convention. The proportion between the special rates of the schedule and the ordinary tariff is to be maintained, should either party alter its ordinary tariff. This arrange ment is to come into force on a date to be proclaimed by the GovernorGeneral and the Governor of Xew Zealand respectively, after both Pa-lia-ments shall have accepted it, an 1 shall remnn in force for three rears, and. thereafter until one year's' mtice b given by either party. (Signed) H. J. SEDDON. ALFRED DEAKfN, July Bth, 1906. Note.—The upper line of the two duties shown opposite an item, is the doty to be charged in each of the contractioß eouotries on the products of Ike other; the lower duty on the undermentioned line to be chirged against the products of other countries. & .2 .2 • "tf 2 - G I 3 » « m «! is Crated and mineral waters free free 20 r.e." 20 p.c Bacon and huns 3d lb 2d lb ■ld lb 4d lb Batter 3d lb 20p c 4d lb 4d lb Che:se 3d lb 20p.c. •Id lb 44 lb Candles Id lb Id 11 2d lb 2d ih Eggs 2Jd doz 2|dd"z 6d doz 20p.e ■ Fish (fresh) ... free fr<e Id lb frc Oyjler# free free 2s cwt frei Fraits, dried raisins free free 3d lb Id 11 Currants ... free free 2d lb id lb O'ain, barley ... 1/3 cental l/i> 2j- cen. 2/ B.>ans and peas... 1/3 cen. 1/3 2/- cen. 2/Ma'ze ... ... Is cen. Is 31 2f een 2Oats ... ... Is 3J cen Is 3d 2s ccn 2s Bran, pollard & sharps ... 9J cen 9d Is cen 20p.c. Fhur free free 2s 6d cen 1 s Wheat Is cen 9J 2s cen 2? Oatmeal, wheatmetl and rolled oats id lb Is een lid lb lid lb Hay anl chaff ... free frei Is cwt 20s ewt Hops ... ... 6d lb fld ll' Is lb Is 11 Linserd ... ... free free 2s cen 2i»s toi. Linseed meal ... free frei 4s ccn Linseed cake ... free free Is ccn Malt ... 6s een 2s bushel 1 7s. cen 7s. cen Malt extract Millt preserved ... Id 2ap.c. 2d lb 2d !t Oils: Olive ... free frei 1/1 gal. Gd bull 15 p.c hot Eucalyptus ... free frei free free Kerosene Onions ... ... Is cwt lscwi 1/6 cwt 1/6 cwt Potatoes Is cwt 20 p.c 1/6 ewt 1/6 cwl Soap (perfumed) 3d lb 25p.r 61 lb CJ Other soap ... Sugar, refined and unrefined ... £6 ton free £6 ton id II Timber, laths ... 5s 1000 2s 10r* 5s 1000 2j KiOi Shingles ... ... 2s 10*)0 2s 1 1 :l * 3s 1000 2s 100" L>gs free free Palings loilOOO 2s lot > 15s 1000 2s 100 P ists ... free 8s 100 free 8s 100 Riils * ree free 4s 10 Timber, sawn undressed ... 2s 10" 3s l(f Oregon, undressed 12in. by 6tn. and over ... (id l') 0 Is 6d 100 O.her undressed 12 in. by £in. and oyer Is 100 2s 100 Other undressed less than 12in. by 6in ... Is fiJ 100 2« 6d 100 Timber, sawn undressed ... 3s UK) I 1 K ■li 100 os I'*" Timber, unenumerated ... ... frei limber, New Zealand pine ... free Wine 8s gil. Is gal | Us gal. 6s ga • Means per cent.

PKB PRESS ASSOCIATION". Wellington, August 30. At the afternoon sitting the Premier read the Treaty, signed by the late Premier of New Zealand and the Premier of the Comnnnwealth, am: also the following resolution : Re«olved (1) that pending consideration by Parliament of the agreement entered into on the Sth day of June, irjt/i, b> the Governments of New Zealand an' the Commonwealth i.f Aus ralin i' promote trade anil inten mir-r b 1 twecn their respei t^vi• countries, the duties and exemptions specified in that agreement and hereinafter forth shall b" respectively imp s-< and granted in respect of the ar m ies specified; (;) that the said duties shall be levied, collected, and pti< on and after the date of this te- .lu tion, to wit, the jntli day of August. '')</>: '3) that the exemptions and reductions hereby authorised. th-iug provisionally taking effect on ami after the aforesad (late, shall n'.t !>'• actually allow, d un'e«s and until the said agreement is ratified anil brought into operation putsuant t.. Statute; but in the meantim-' the duties heretofore chargeable s'-.a continue to be levied and paid subject to refund i r adjustment wlun such Statute is passed; (4) that the (lutieimposed by this resolution on any specified ariicle* >ha'l be deemed t be in substitutior 'or the duties im imposed on the ; articles by iH« Cu*tom< Acts, inc ui,'.(j 'he Pitf.v

ential and Reciprocal Trade Act, HJO3, in the case of articics to which that Act applies, and accordingly the preferential duty imposed by section 2 of that Act shall not be payable in addition to the duiy imposed l.y this resolution; (5) the duti.-s and exemptions imposed and granted respectively by this resolution are as set out in columns above. The Premier explained that the Treaty was the work of iiis late Chief, who had signed it two days before his death. Tie regretted much that he was not in possession of the information which had guided his distinguished predecessor aid the statesmen of the Commonwealth to their conclusions, and therefore he was not in a position to fully explain all the details of the Treaty to the House. All he c u'd cTo was to explain ihat the usual course is being follow c J in t'.ie matter of the Tariff arrangements affected, for which there were obvious reasons. It must be distinctly understood, Inwever, that the r.ew provisions are only temporary, t'.elr establishment bein.? intended to protect all the interests concerned until the passing of an Act by the Legislature confirming them or otherwise. After the passing o( that Act all payments made under the temp: rarv arrangement would be adjusted according to the terms of the Act. He took the opportunity to explain at the same time that as the Act would contain provision for differential tariff rates, it would have to be reserved for the Royal assent, and jt would be necessary for the 1 protection of all interests and the saving of all rights to pass an Act extending the scope of the temporary duties till the signification of th< Royal pleasure. Having referred to

former negotiations with Australia for reciprocity arrangements, tin Premier read a table showing the financial position of the various items affected by the Treaty, on calculations based on the tariff results of iyos- C' ntinuing, the Premiei pointed out that the great feature of the table is the prominent outstand ing position occupied by the item. I sugar, with a value cf ,£185,000. If the House chose to regard this amount as offering a balance for the other side of the Treaty, it might do. Mr Hornsby asked what was- to become of our own industry. The Premier said that was another matter. He did not, of course, seek to ignore the seriousness of the question, but he was not there to discuss the matter at that stage. The position indicated only added to his profound regret at the absence of the information which had guided the signatories in this matter. They were all sufferers for want of the brain that had ceased to throb, but they could not therefore shirk the responsibility devolving on them. It behoved them to exercise that responsibility by bestowing the utmost care and consideration upon the Treaty. In that view he would, at the proper time, .move the reference of the Treaty to the Industries and Commerce Committee of the House. The broad principle of the expansion cf trade—a thing on which all were agreed—should be their guide. Mr Massev welcomed the proposal to refer the Treaty to the Committee named, as he had not fully grasped the bearings himself. He agreed that he prominent position of sugai was the great feature of the traiff. adding that though not himself in favour of a highly protective duty, he wou'd b_■ no party to the injury of any large business employing a considerable number of hands. The Premier agreed that the matter required the most thorough investigation in their power. After going into Committee of Ways and Means, and dealing with the matter there, the. House passed the resolution, and on the motion ol t'-'.e Premier the Treaty was referred to the Industries and Commerce Com mittee, to report on in a week.

BEFORE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. TARIFF WELL RECEIVED. PREFERENCE EXTENDED TC BRITAIN. Received 30th, 11.25 P- n '. Melbourne, August 30. Mr Deakin, < n tabling the Prefer cncc Agreement, said he had n-ceiv ej a calo'e from Sir Joseph Ward intimating that the now duties had now been given the force of law, and the agrement had been referred to the Industry and Commerce Commi' tee 1.1 report within a week. Sonu duties were not altered from the rates already existing, but they were never embodied in an agreement. The agreement marked a new departure in the history of Australasia. It proposed to bring together two countries which were naturally united by many ties 0 f interest. He doubted if any such agreement existed in the Empire, and no man could have known better the resources of his own State than Mr Scddon. and the accomplished work was largely due to his foresight and grasp of detail. He recommended the acceptance of the agreement and hoped it would lead to a wider extension of commercial relations with the different parts of the Empire. Continuing, he hoped before the session ended to be afih to table an agreement with South Africa. Although political circumstances in the L nitcd Kingdom did not lead the Government to hope for recipncal trade with that country, he hoped the opinion would vet change, and the people of Britain see thai Australians' object was not to make a raid on the industrial life 0 f Britain. The Minister of Cusinmf wou'd submit an addition to tl:c X<-w Zealand Treaty resolutions, which would cover a proposal to grant certain advantages to the Mother Country over her commercial rivals. It was not a reciprocal agreement likf that with New Zealand, but an opening or advance order. Mr Cook, Deputy-Leader 1 f the Opposition, said the Opposition welcomed freer trade with New Zealand. He wi, u ld lik<> t0 spP f rcc trade between the two countries and what reason was there for continuing baniers against New /.ea.and. Was it to protect Australia against the pauper labour of Ne« Zeal.ind or from inferior industri;i! conditions? There was no reason for interfen.ece with trade between Australia and New Zealand. He waP sorry to hear that some duties were raised. The aim should have been to abolis'i a 1 duties. Whv shouVl there not be absolute freedom - f rom mema' ami ird-i-trial re'.,tio„s |„. «e-n Xe'.' Z' a'.tn-l and Au-tra'i.i : Mr llufchins' 11 wanted t ., U„v why NVa Zealand, if Mir » ;m!s frw trade v.ith us. ;'o s not come into tie I nion.

Sir \\. I.yne subsprjurntly ninvd 'V ns covering prefcrncc T > HTjt:<h importations.

V'-' '''l'' 1 ' 5 " n lr "ni thi' Tnii Hi** |'i"f li'nr.. ri' U'lons .ir,. I'; , ,1,,.; .1 ■ ' <'ii i' - .I'. I hi'v rlr>w t.iml lirdi-r lII.' Mnir duties „„ f,, import- are being raised.