AUSTRALIAN CUSTOMS.

Taranaki Daily News, 26 March 1920, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN CUSTOMS.

NEW TARIFF PROPOSAL By Telegraph.—Press Aasn.—CopyTicbt. Melbourne, Marcli 25. The Minister of Customs unexpectedly tabled the new tariff under three heads: British preferential, intermediate British preferential, intermediate (which remains inoperative for the present) and general. In the House of Representatives Mr. Massy Greene, introducing the Tariff Bill, paid the outstanding lesson of the war left no option but to adopt such a policy as would ensure Australia against the commercial bleeding to which it had heen subjected. Explainins the Bill he said it provided a substantially increased preference to Britain and permitted reciprocal tariff relationships with other parts of the Empire, which might bp granted the United Kingdom preferential rate, either in whole or part. The Bill prohibited reciprocal relationships with any Dominion in which the ecenomic conditions word lower than prevailed in Australia. The Bill also provided for the extension of the intermediate tariff to any country with which reciprocal trade relationships had been arranged and protected new industries by providing an additional duty to ..prevent dumping. The ni'imbpr of new duties totalled 05. In all these cases in. the last tariff importations from the United Kingdom were free- Provision was also made for a deferred duty, which would become operative at some future date, with Hie object of siring an opportunity to establish industries in Australia by the time the deferred dutv operated. If this w.",s not done the Minister was empowered to postpone the imposition of the deferred duty. The new duties come into operation to-day.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.