FLOUR DUTY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 4 November 1907, Page 2

FLOUR DUTY.

JiONOPOLY PREVENTION BILL. INTUODUCED INTO THE HOUSE OF ItEPKESEN'TATIVES. Tin; Flour and Other Products Monopoly Prevention Bill was introduced into the House of Keprescntatives on Friday. The Bill provides that—.Notwithstanding anything contained in the Tariff Act, IUO7, it shall be lawful for the Governor at any time and from | time to time, on the recommendation of the Court of Arbitration, to declare, by Order in Council, that, on and after a date to be specified in such Order in Council, Hour imported into New Zealand shall lie admitted free of all duties, ami so long as such Order in Council remains in force the Hour shall be exempt from such duties. Any such Order in Council may be revoked by the Governor at any time not earlier than three months from the gazetting of the last-mentioned Order in Council.

The Court of Arbitration may from time to time, at the direction of the Governor, make inquiry as to whether the wholesale market price of flour in New Zealand is unreasonably high, and if on such inquiry the Court finds that such price is, or has at any time since the receipt of such direction from the Governor, been unreasonably high, the Court shall recommend the Governor to exercise the powers conferred upon him by this Act. THE PEICE.

The price of Hour shall be deemed to be unreasonably high—(a) If the average price of flour in New Zealand is, relatively to the price of wheat in New Zealand, higher than the average price of flour in Australia relatively to the average price of wheat in Australia, unless, in the opinion of the Court of Arbitration, the additional price in New Zealand is justified by additional cost of production; or (b) if the average price of wheat in New Zealand has, by reason of any combination among the holders of stocks of wheat, or by reason of any complete or -partial monopoly established by any such holder, been raised above the price which would be determined by unrestricted competition. The provisions of the Act shall also apply to wheat in the same manner as to flour.

For the purpose of any inquiry by tho Court of Arbitration, the price of wheat skall be deemed to be unreasonably high if the average wholesale price in New Zealand has, by reason of any combination among the holders of stocks, or by any monopoly, been raised above the price which would be determined by unrestricted competition. POTATOES. The above provisions also apply to potatoes. The price of potatoes is to be deemed unreasonably high if the average wholesale price in Now Zealand exceeds £7 per ton, or has been raised by a combination or a complete or partial monopoly above the price which would be determined by unrestricted competition. The average prices of any of these articles in New Zealand is to be determined by the Court by reference to the ordinary market prices at Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch, Wellington, and Auckland, and average prices by Australia by reference similarly to prices at Sydney and Melbourne. The Arbitration Court, in making inquiries under the Act, will have the powers of Commissioners under the Commissioners Act, 1903, and may receive and act on any evidence that it thinks fit, whether the same is legally admissible in a Court of law or not.