RECIPROCITY TREATY.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8225, 31 August 1906, Page 5

RECIPROCITY TREATY.

* NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTIUHa. By Telegraph—Press Association.. WELLINGTON, An Bust *.). In the House of Representatives,, yesterday, the Premier road i;he treaty signed by tho late Premie* 1 of New Zealand aud the Premier of tlio Ojmmouwealth, and'jjjalsu tho following resolutions:—Keaolved (1) shut pending consideration by Parliament of the agreement entered into on the Bth day of June, 1906, by the Governments of New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Australia to promote trade and intercourse between the respective countries, tb.3 duties aud exemptions specified in that agreement, and hereinafter set forth, shall be respectively imposed and granted in respect of the articles speoified; 2(2) that tho said duties shall be levied, collected and paid on and after the date of this resolution, to wit, August 30th, 190(1; (3) that the exemptions and reductions hereby authorised,' though provisionally tailing effeot on and after the aforesaid date, shall not be actually allowed unless and until the aaid agreement ia ratified and brought into operation pursuant; to Statute, but in the meantime tho duties heretofore chargeable shall continue to be levied and puid subject to refund or adjustment when such Statute is passed; (4) that'the duties imposed by this resolution on any speoified articles shall be deemed to be in substitution for the duties imposed on thesame articles by the Customs Acts* including "The Preferential and Reciprocal Trade Act, 1903," in the case of articles to whlob that Act applies, and accordingly the preferential duty imposed by Motion 2 of that Act shall not be payable in addition to the duty imposed by ttria | resolution; (5) the duties and exemptions imposed and granted respectively by this resolution are as follow (the rates mentioned in the first place applying to articles* of the product or manufacture of thesaid Commonwealth and those mentioned in the second place th& articles of the product or manufacture of any country other than the said Commonwealth) —Aerated and mineral waters—(l) If the produot or manufacture of the Commonwealth of Australia, free; (2) if the produot or manufacture of any country other than the Commonwealth of Australia, 20 per cent, ad val; bacon and 1 ham, 2d per lb, 4d per lb; butter, 20 per cent, ad val., 4d per ib; cheese. 20 per cent., ad val, 4d per lb; candles, Id per lb, 2d per lb; eggs, 2>£d per dozen, 20 per cent., ad val; fish, fresh, free, lree; oysters, free, free; apples, pears and grapes, %d per lb from Jnly 14th to Marcn Ist, Id per lb during the rest of the year, blank; fruits, dried raisins, free, Id per lb, currants, free, Id per lb; fruits, bottled, blan.k, 25 per cent, ad val; grain, barley, Is 6d per cental, 2s per Cental; beans and peas, Is 3d per cental, 2s per cental; maize, Is 3d per cental, 2s per cental; oats, Is 3d per cental, 2s per cental; bran, pollard and sharps, 9d per cental, 20 per oent. ad val; flour, free, I* percental; wheat, 9d percental, 2s per cental; oatmeal, wheatmeal and rolled oats, Is per cental, l}£d per lb; hay and chaff, free, 20s per ton; hops, 6d per lb, lb per ib;, linseed, free, 20s per ton; linseed meal, free, 20s per ton; linseed oake, free, 20s per ton; malt, 2s per bushel, 7s per cental; milk, preserved 25 per oent. ad val, 2d per lb; oils, olive, fre°, Gd per gallon in bulk, 15 per cent, ad val in bottle; eucalyptus, free, free; onions, Is per owt., Is 6d per owt.; potatoes, 20 per cent, ad val, Is 6d per owt.; soap, perfumed, 25 per oent ad val, 6d per lb; sugar, refined or unrefined, free, >£d per Ib; timber laths, 2a per IfOOO,' 2s per 1,000; shingles, 2s per 1,000, 2s per 1,000; logs, free, free; pailings, 2s per 100, 2s per 100; posts, 8s per 100, 2s ner 100; rails, 4s per 100: sawn undressed, 2s per 100 superficial feet, 3a per 100;superfioial feet; sawn dressed, 4s per 100 superficial feet, 5s per 100 superficial feet; unenumerated, blank aud free; wine, 4s per gallon, Cs per gallon. The Premier explained that the treaty was the work of his late ohief, who had signed it two days before his death. He regretted much that ho was not in possession of|the information which had guided bis distinguished predecessor and the statesmen of the Commonwealth to their conclusions, and be was not in a position to fully explain all the details of the treaty to the House. All he could do was to explain that the course is being followed in the matter of the tariff arrangements affected, for which there were obvious reasons. It mußt be distinctly understood, however, that the new provisions are only temporary, their establishment, being intended to protect all the interests concerned until the cassing of an Act by the Legislature confirming them or otherwise After the, passing uf that Act all payments made under the temporary arrangements would bo adjustod auoording to the terms of the Act. He would, afc the proper time, move the reference of tho treaty to the Industries and Commerce Committee of the House.

Mr Massey welcomed the proposal to rofer the treaty to the ooinniittee named.

After going into committee of ways aud means, and dealing with the matter there, the House passed the resolution, and on the motiou of the Premier the treaty was referred to the Industries and Commsro® committee to report on.