THE CUSTOMS LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 September 1922, Page 5

THE CUSTOMS LAW.

COMING OF GERMAN GOODS. PROTECTION PROPOSALS. (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Sept. 6. When the Customs Amendment Bill was introduced in the House of Representatives last night, the Minister for Customs (Mr. Downie Stewart) said that it did not make very important alterations in the existing law. One of the features of the Bill was a provision for protecting British trade against German competition in the event of trade with Germany being resumed by the Dominion. The Bill would enable New Zealand to consider the resumption of trade with Germany on terms that would not be inequitable to British traders or British Dominions. Clause 5 of the Bill was intended to meet a difficulty that had been created by the extraordinary fluctuations in the values of goods in recent times. It provided that importers might have goods revalued for customs purposes without holding them in bond for two years. Importers had complained that in some cases, where goods had greatly depreciated in value, they had either to hold them in bond for two years in order to secure a revaluation or else re-export them.

Another clause of the Bill dealt with a question of jurisdiction in territorial waters. The Norwegian customs authorities had attempted recently to extend their jurisdiction for a distance of ten miles from the coast. The British Government had declined to recognise this claim, and the Norwegians had replied that New Zealand was claiming jurisdiction outside the three-mile limit. That was rather embarrassing for the British Government, and therefore the New Zealand Government had agreed to amend its law so that it might not be quoted against the British contention. Mr. G. Forbes (Hurunui) asked if the Minister’s further negotiations with the Australian customs authorities had produced any results.

Mr. Stewart said he had promised to try to adjust some of the minor matters that had given rise to complaint in New Zealand. He had received a cablegram from the Australians asking on what terms New Zealand would give them one or two items to which they attached importance. They referred particularly to dried fruits. He had cabled in reply indicating a few items that New Zealand would exchange for what Australia wanted, but he had not yet received a further reply from the Commonwealth Minister for Customs.