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TARIFF BOARD'S REPORT.
BOUNTY ON COPPER.
Request Not Recommended.
U'ltO.M OUlt Sl'KCIAL KKl'llESENTATlVK |
CANBERRA, Wednesday. — An impor
tant report of tlie Tariff Board, ;in which
the request for a bounty on copper pro
duced .in Australia was. not "recommended,
was tabled in tlie House of Representa
tives to-day by the Minister of Trade and
Customs.
.Mr. Pratlen -announced thnt only one
noteworthy report ' remained to ' be pre
sented, aiid that was the one dealing with
the iron and steel duties.
Tlie report dealing with the request for
a" .copper ; bou n ty stated, that tlio board
Started its inquiry, in . September, 1020,
n ml no evidence was given in opposition
to -. the request. Among the companies
(which supported tho request Avcre. the
Mouut;Lyoll Co., the Mount Morgan Co.,
Blount "Elliott Ltd., Clonciirry, and Mount
lloyai copper miiies, -Hew.' South Wales.
- 3.'he Mount Royal - company< asked for
a.houiity. on copper) at tlie rate of' £10
Aoa Avlmn' tlie price of- copper remains '
under; £00- per ton, tlie bounty to decrease
pcr/tim . for each .iiierease of £20
p'er - ton .iiv tlie ' price, of copper over £66
per ton,- until tlic bounly disappears when
the. price is £76 per ton.' The Electro-
y.tie,:Rcliiung' and., Smelting Co. of Aus-
M'" '/"'il wt: .Kenibla„(N.S.W.),' requested
F 'i.Mfel'ont bounty to. assist' the refining:
-industry;' additional.' to tlio. other report. '
hoard stilted , thnt since. 1910 eop-
ipeipnees'slumped, and. four Queensland
nuiioby-incliidirig tlic fumous .Mount Mor
gan mine, vclosed down one after an-
i -c! ' «»«on8'.for tlio industry's in-
iihility. to .carry -oil-; were stated to be high
costsohi mmmg' in Australia compared
nitli: thosoMir Other countries, aiid' ton
copper . rallies .in . tlie world's markets. In
«?l'Per was quoted in London
at ,£o5 ipeiv.toh,; coiripnred Avith an ave-
ltlW 94 'or tho eleven years
. It was 8l.ntcd .iii evidence that Aus-
tralia was ihandicnppod by tho possession
OL- low-grade; copper- deposits, small in
quantity; and procurable only nt. a great
upst. J he bonrd, pointed out- that copper
' weretuow 'dependent upon only two
ocnl. sourees. of supply— Mount Lyell and
the I qrt-.Kembln Smelting Co.— and these
two conlp, -lines ; claimed tlio vwere in ieo-
IJfli'dy. The Alount Lyell Co. lmd lien
managed so _ eihcicntly that it had sur-
vned tliC' othei-s. TIic object of. the
bounty. '..was.-, to .-.-bridge -the difference bo-
tween cost of production and selling. value
based on ) the ivorltl s- price" of copper, and
ducFr"- - f : PrPflt 'to the.- ; pro-
: . 'Flic honi-d sin toil that, to pay a' (bounty
to -mi industry, -..employing.- obsolete; methods
ol . production would be unsound, ' aiid- for
this rensoii '. it was ,-iinahle.; to' justify . a
llKuefeiOi -definitely"; recommended' that tlie
l oqqest.be. not- poniphed, -.with.:. 'Apart' from
the. quostion .of a hoimty, .the board: lion-
- the fact:' that) the : production of
scu' wlUnn tlio Empne
lvrSr1?ri"g the
th Alnidiif"ir?r a T ( ' assistance
9 R'tou'1? Jjflliott :Ltd;, -Cloncurry; by' way
'W tilnt oobipuhyfa prospect-
ng.enoits. .the board 'did 'not make any
| qcoiniiiendntion with regard . to the relin-
ing .industry, except ..-tiiqt 'tlie matter 're
main, in tibcynnce until the Mount Lyell
Company- lias, commenced to reduce electro-
lytic copper, under the improved - condi
tions, when the ' quostion could be' re-
.viewed, ' , ,
The, board, recommended -.that, tho Federal
Covonimoiit make representations to the
Queensland Government with a view of
miproving. the means' of transportation
m 'tho: Cloncurry district, and also, if neces
sary, . til c'o-ojicrii to with, the Queensland
.Government ,<in piicpuraging more intcn-
sivp prospecting in that locality.
-Dealing with '-the request for increased
duty on. wooden . doors, tho board reported
that the importations of doors hud steadily
liy.-rcascd during recent, yenrs, tlie compe
tition coming almost entirely from the
United btntcs, and as the Australian mor
tised door" was being undersold by the
Amcncqn do welled door there were good
grounds for increasing tho duty. Tho hoard
accordingly recommended that the request
for an air-round duty of 8/0 -each on all
wooden doors he acceded to.
. After having a confidential interview
with the . Defence department regarding
the use . of acetic acid for defence pur
poses, the- Tariff Board recommended that
tho request of- Forest l'roduets' Ltd.; of
Perth (W.A.), for nn increased duty on
acetates for the munufucturo of noetic acid
.bo refused. .
Regarding the -application for increased
duty on bnishwaro, the board stated that
bobbing and shingling had had a most
disastrous effect on tho ' hair-brush trade,
hut it recommended that the nd valorem
rate ou linn- liruslics bo increased from
30 per cent., 35 per cent, and 45 per cent,
to 40 per tent., 50 per cent, and 55 per
cent.,' in order to protect the trq.de against
tlio cheaper class of brusliwnve., ;
The boaro '.also suggested - tliiit an. al
ternative fixed' rate of 5/, 6/ aiid '7/ per
dozen bo imposed. In respect of cloth
brushes tho hoard recommended a duly
of 5/, 6/, unci 7/, tho. nd . valorem rales
to remain the same. A duty on tooth
brushes of. 2/, 3/. and 4/ per dozen, on
an nd valorem rate of- 40 per cent., 50 per
Vent.- and 55 per cent, was recommended.
A duly of 1/6, 1/0 and 2/ per dozen on
nail brushes, tho nd valorem rate to re
main; 'tlio same; was .recommended. In
thu caso of ; scrnhbing brushes' it was re
commended , that a duty of 2/, 3/ ami
4/. lie imp'oscd, or nii.iid valorem rate of
40 per cent., 50 per cent, and 55 per cent.
Tho following rates wcro recommended in
the case of naint nnd varnish liruslics: —
2/, 3/ nnd 4/ per dozen; the nil valorem
rate to i.emnin tho same. The bonrd sug
gested tiiut a request for the' admission
of duck feathers free of duty for the
manufacture of down lie granted, hut thut
the request for au incrcused duty on down
bo refused.
Regarding an application for increased
duties on wooden tool handles tlio board
recommended thnt no alteration be 'made
in tlie existing duties relating to wooden
tool handles other than axe handles, and
that the following rates he provided in
respect of axe handles:— Ash axe handles
of an invoice value up to VI/ per dozen
f.o.b.. per dozen 4/0, 6/ and 7/0; nxc
handles of nil invoice value exceeding 12/
per dozen f.o.h., ad valorem 25 per cent..
30 per cent, uud 35 per cent. 'Hie United
States is the chief exporter of axe handles
to Australia. The hoard made the above
recommendation for a fixed duty largelv
as a result of investigations it made in
Victoria.
Other reports of the hoard recommended
a reduction in tlio' duties on motor cycles
from 10 per cent... 25 per cent, ami 30 per
cent, to free, 12% per cent, unci 15 per
eeiit. The tariff adopted in the new
schedule is free, 15 per cent, and 20 per
cent. The hoard reported that during the
war year 1017-1018 the United States
supplied £106,000 worth of motor cycles
to- Australia compared with Britain's
£20,000 worth, but in 1024-25 Britain recap
tured tho Australian market with £520,000
wortli compared with tho United States
£138,000 Worth.
An increase in the duties on storage
batteries to 40 per cent., 47 per cent, and
55 per cent, was recommended h.v the
board. Tlie schcdfile provides for 35 per
cent., 47 per cent, and 60 per cent.
Although tho board declined to recom
mend an incrcnsc in duties on fluorspar,
owing to the suppression of essential 'evi
dence by, certain witnesses, the new tariff
schedule provides for the inserting of a
new item giving the duties nn this mineral
as 20/, 25/ and 30/ per ton. Tho board
slated 'thnt Mr. D. W. Hughes, director
of the Fluorspar- Mining Co. Ltd. of Cliil-
ingoc (Q.) Tailed when on oath to reveal
the true financial position of the com
pany. The hoard deferred making any re
commendation regarding tho request for
an increased duty on pressed and pressed
blow glassware owing to lack of sufficient
evidence. '
It was recommended that no amendment
be made in the duties on wrought iron
and malleable east iron fitting for pipes.
The board's recommendation for a duty
on straw paper was adopted by the Go
vernment m the schedule.
$