THE TARIFF.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 December 1921, Page 8

THE TARIFF.

AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY. ALTERATIONS MADE. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Nov. 30. The Prime Minister, referring to the duty proposed to be imposed on certain classes of agricultural implements, said that the New Zealand manufacturers did not object to British implements entering the Dominion free of duty. But they had asked 'for some protection from the competition of Canada and the United States, and a small duty was being imposed accordingly. Ploughs, harrows, reapers, etc., would remain free of duty as at present. The Minister for* Customs (Mr. Downie Stewart) explained some of the amendments that were being pro-

posed. lie said that the original proposal had been to charge a duty of 15 per cent, preferential, 25 per cent, foreign on motor cars and kindred articles. But the importers of British ears had demonstrated that under the conditions of the trade they would be prejudiced by this arrangement of the duties. Then the customs authorities had pointed to a difficulty about discriminating between the <?uty on cars and the duty on parts of cars'. Any discrimination of this kind made the collection of duties very difficult a*nd encouraged importers to declare the low’ duty items at a high value and the high duty items at a low value. The original suggestion of the Tariff Commission had been that the duty on motor cars and parts should be 10 per cent., and the Government had decided, for the reasons, he had indicated. to' revert to this duty. The Government, continued the Minister, had already taken off t-lie proposed duty of lid per gallon on kerosene. It was now proposing to restore petrol and benzine also to the free list, in response to the representations that had been made. It was very difficult for the Customs Department to discriminate between the various oils and fuels, and

the Department had desired to get a uniform rate of duty for them all. The Government had concurred in this, and the Prime Minister had had in view the prospect of raising a. substantial amount of money for the improvement of the main roads. But in view of the protests that had been made and the extent to which kerosene and petrol were used in the country and in industries, the Government had decided to ask Parliament to restore these items to the free list. That had necessitated the restoration of the duty of six-pence per gallon on the heavier oils in order to make a workable tariff. The Government had felt that there was a difficulty about imposing a duty on Canadian agricultural machines, owin'- to the fact that Canada had always treated New Zealand particularly well under its tariff. Ministers were proposing, therefore, that a slight reduction should be made in the preferential duty c.n tinned -salmon. This concession would benefit to about twice the amount of the duty that was being placed on the machines. The duty was being re-un-nosed upon cash registers because the Government had learned that these appliances were in competition with an appliance of local manufacture. The amendments were adopted by the House.