ENGINEERING TRADE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 264, 5 October 1933, Page 8

ENGINEERING TRADE.

TARIFF COMMISSION REQUESTS

Per Press Association

CHRISTCHURCH, 0 9 t. 4

Representatives of the engineering trade asked the Tariff Commission today for increased protection against overseas competitors or, in some items, retention of present duties. In a few items a reduction of the duty was sought. Mr Frank Netherton Lawrence, representing Anderston’s, Ltd., asked for increased duties on foreign power-driv-en churns, butter packers, ' butter pounders and cheese presses. The tariff at present is Britsh free, foreign 20 per cent, and Australian free. Mr Lawrence asked for an increase to 25 per cent, foreign. On Diesel and semiDiesel engines the present scale is British free, foreign 25 per cent., and Australian free, and he proposed a scale of 20, 45, and 20 per cent. On oil engines the present scale is 25, 50 and 15 per cent., and he proposed 20, 50 and 15 per cent. He also asked for the removal of all duties on unsawn clear pine, sugar pine and teak. He contended that there was ample scope for efficient engineering units in the Dominion, but they could carry on only if assisted by a tariff which would be sufficient to equalise the higher production costs in this country compared with .those in the United Kingdom and elswliere. His firm was of the opinion that in normal trading conditions an ad valorem duty of 20 per cent, was the minimum required to enable the engineering industry to survive.