WARTIME IMPORTS

Waikato Times, Volume 125, Issue 20993, 21 December 1939, Page 8

WARTIME IMPORTS

CONTROL EXERCISED GOODS OF NEUTRAL ORIGIN ISSUE OF CERTIFICATES (By Telegraph.—Press Association) WELLINGTON, Thursday Commenting on the “Import Certificates Emergency Regulations” gazetted this week, the Minister of Customs, the Hon. W. Nash, said that in issuing the regulations the Government was acting in complete cooperation with the Government of the United Kingdom in its actions relative to exports from Germany. Under these regulations, unless exempted by the Minister of Customs goods exported to New Zealand from neutral countries in Europe on or after January 1 will require to be accompanied by a Consular certificate of origin and interest, which must be produced when the goods are entered at the customs. The certificates are to be issued by British Consular officers in neutral countries, and are designed to prevent the importation from such countries of goods in which an enemy has an interest or in the manufacture of which more than 25 per cent of enemy labour or material is involved. It has been arranged in respect of goods from Belgium that the New Zealand Government Tourist and Trade Commissioner at Brussels shall issue the necessary certificates. It is not expected that any difficulty will be experienced at the outset in obtaining certificates, as the system is already operating in respect of exports to the United Kingdom from neutral countries. The regulations provide for the detention of goods unaccompanied by the necessary certificate. In a separate Gazette notice the Minister has declared certain goods to be exempted from the requirements of the regulations. These are principally materials required for use in industry. Certificates With Goods “The United Kingdom Ministry of Economic Warfare,” said Mr Nash, “recently issued a warning to the effect that merchants who wished to ensure that their exports from European countries were not delayed or detained were advised to obtain certificates of origin and interest from the British or French Consular officer in the European country concerned. They should arrange for these certificates to accompany the goods on board the vessel. “This will, it is stated, greatly facilitate the examination of the vessel at contraband control bases, and shipowners are therefore strongly advised not to accept cargo not accompanied by such certificates.” Goods Exempted Among the goods exempted from the regulations are the following:— All articles of food; asphalt and bitumen, natural; bona fide gifts from private senders to private addresses; bona fide personal and household effects of persons entering New Zealand; bulbs and corms; bedfeathers imported in bulk and down; feeding stuffs for animals. Fertilisers of the following descriptions: Bones, mineral, phosphates of lime. Goods addressed to or consigned direct to Government Departments; goods imported under transit or transhipment conditions and duly reexported; goods of New Zealand origin reimported after exportation therefrom; hides and skins, including furskins, raw, dried salted or pickled; iron and steel, scrap and waste iron ore and concentrates; jute, raw. Newspapers, periodicals, printed books and printed parts thereof; printed music, catalogues, advertising material, printed leaflets, printed pamphlets and printed forms; papermaking materials; raffia, unmanufactured; rubber, raw, waste and reclaimed; samples of no commercial value.

Seeds, agricultural and horticultural and feedings. Slag, including basic slag; tar and pitch; wood and timber, in round or hewn or sawn, planed or unplaned.