AUSTRALIAN HIDE DUTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 24 September 1921, Page 12

AUSTRALIAN HIDE DUTY.

EFFECT UPON NEW ZEALAND. APPREHENSION OF GROWERS. There is at present a proposal before the Australian Federal Parliament to place a duty of one penny a pound on hides. The proposal was discussed by the representatives of firms interested in the hide export trade. It was stated by one expert that if the proposal was adopted, it would mean rather a serious matter for the New Zealand producers, who would have to take a pound less for their bides, as a result of the duty, or lose the competition of the Australian tanners. This would mean from 3s to 4s o n each hide. Tn view of the present low price of beef the proposal was a serious matter for the producers. A letter from an Australia firm .f hide merchants to the firm’s New Zealand representative staled that the proposal had been introduced, into the Federal Senate by a Queensland Senator who, no doubt, was working in the interests of his own State. On the other hand it was stated that Australian tanners require about 75 per cent, of their

own hides for grain work, and Australia could not produce enough suitable hides without drawing on New Zealand. The Australian tanners. therefore, were strongly protesting against the duty being imposed. It was suggest .1 * that efforts should be made to induce the New Zealand Government to bring pressure to bear on the Federal Government to prevent the duty being imposed. The representative of another firm, dealing largely in New Zealand hides, said the bulk of the hides exported from the Dominion last season went to Australia —probably about 6G or 70 per cent. The lighter grades only went to America. The imposition of a penny a pound duty on hides to Australia would mean a loss of about 4s a hide to the producer. Ho added that the impression among Australian' bide merchants was that the proposal would not ‘be carried in the Federal Parliament. At the same time there was no doubt that a vigorous protest from New Zealand would be entirely in the interests of the producers of the Dominion.