THE NEW ZEALAND TARIFF.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 194, 7 August 1873, Page 2

THE NEW ZEALAND TARIFF.

The following memorial has been drawn up by a committee of the Chamber of Commerce, to be forwurded to the House of Representatives : — To the Honorable the Speaker and the honorable the members of the House of Kepresentatives of New Zealand u Parliament assembled. The memorial of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce : Humbly sheweth, — That your memorialists have learned that your honorable House has bean moved to alter the present Customs tariff, and that instructions have been furnished to the Collector of Customs at the port of Auckland, in accoi dance v» ith which duties arc now being levied by him upon the scale proposed in substitution. That fiotn tlie remarks made by the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer in his recent Financial Statement, it appears that the object of the proposed change is to simpl'fy the collection rather than to increase tlio amount of duties payable ; but your memorialists believe the real effect of the proposed sca!e will be to nearly double the amount levied upon I the artic^s affected, and in some cases to inciease it 500 or I 600 per centum. That many articles upon which increased duly is proposed to be chained ore used largely in mauuiactures atid colonial industues which will be piejudicially affected by tbe enhanced cost of material — notably the icanufacture of saddlery, furniture, hats, boots and shoes, leather belting for machinery, and the ship and boat-buildrng, coach-build-ing, and founding trades. From inquiries made dunng tlio past two dajs your me* monahsts are satisfied that the average increase of duty under tbe proposed tariff would exceed :—: — Per centnm. On ordinary ironmongery and hardware goods ... 100 On ordinary drapery and apparel ... ... 80 On groceries aod oilmen's stores ... ... 50 On Saddlery . . ... 120 And as illustrative of tbe spec'al Biid extreme advances, not taken into account in the above oveipges, may be mentioned: Ca petmg and cutlery, 500 per cent.; brasswaro, 500 per cent. ; copper nails and i ivets, 200 per cent. ; iron nails, 250 per cent.; galvanised iron, 300 per cent.; silks and fine drapery, 500 to 700 per cent. ; tinware, 400 per cent. ; elect 10 and brilannia metal ware, 400 to GGO per cent That grave objeel ious exist against a return to an ad valorem basis of duties, and that your memorialists are impressed with tbe general superiority of measurement and weight duty, notwithstand'ng its necessarily unequal pressure upon goods of vary.ng quality, believing that it affords fair protection against fraudulent practices, and might be improved asregards the classification of dutiable articles. That in view of tbe promises, and of tbe fact that, without great minuteness of detail, many recently-established manuiuctures of the colony will be serious! v crippled if the proposed tariff becomes law, tli« .Auckland Chamber of Commerce, at an emeigency meeting held on Friday, tbo 31st July ultimo, passed the following resolutions, winch were telegraphed tl>e same day to the hon the Colonial Treasurer: — 1. That in the opinion of this Chamber tbe alterations proposed in the tariff are impolitic and uojusb in principle and|detail. 2. That the leturn to a system of levying an ad valorem rate on genernl merchandise >s objectionable, offering inducements for dishonest practices. 3. That the proposed rates me oppressive, — increasing the amounts payable on general goods enormourly — say, on the average, 100 per centum. 4 That whatever alteration of tariff is made should not apply to goods on sight entries passed previously to the introduction of the proposed change. 5. That if increased duties are required, an advance on present tariff would be preferable to an ad valorem duty. Your memorialists therefoio pray that your hon Ifouso will not authorise the collecting of duties under the scale proposed ; that in any change you mai think fit to make, due provision may be made lor seeming the minimum of taxation for materials used in colonial manufactures ; and that if any increase of duties is nece^arv , it may be made in the form of an advance on present rates, rather than by the imposition of ad valor&n duties. And your memorialists will i'\erpray. Dated at Auckland the 4t ; i August, 1873, on behalt of the members of the Auckland' Chamber of Comme.-ce. G-. Yon jjlb Heyde, Chairman.