IMPORT LICENCES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 30 December 1938, Page 5

IMPORT LICENCES

RUSH OF APPLICATIONS HEAVY TASK FOR CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT. HOPES OF CLEARANCE IN WEEK OR TWO. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. It is expected that within the next week or two importers and the public will have an insight into the full details of the regulations recently introduced by the Government to licence imports. By that time almost all applications for licences will have been dealt with by the Customs authorities in the various centres.

Inundated with applications for licences since the announcement of the Government proposals, the Customs authorities have been exceptionally busy. Staffs have been working day and night, and will be similarly occupied for some time yet. It is most probable that the enforcing of the regulations will involve additional work such as checking up on imports. The hope was expressed by the Minister. of Customs that licences would be available shortly after Christmas. Very few licences had been issued up to yesterday. The delay was to a large degree unavoidable as the machinery for handling the applications was unfamiliar to all parties, but importers, generally, were very patient in the face of the initial delays. It is considered probable, however, that all applications will have been dealt with within a week or two and the necessary licences issued. No details of the schedule of goods being brought under the licensing regulations is at present available, and it is unlikely that the imports to be covered by the licences will be made generally known. An intimation to this effect was given by the Minister of Customs, Mr Nash, shortly after the announcement of the Government’s regulations. Asked when the schedule was likely to be released to the newspapers, Mr Nash said: "I do not think that the schedule will be published.”