Fiji-Aust. Trade.
p. 35 · Read in the full issue
Advantage For Sydney Shippers.
INTERESTING comment on new trade conditions between Fiji and Austra lia were made by Sir Maynard Hed strom, of Suva, when he arrived in Syd ney on November 10 by the Mariposa.
Sir Maynard thought Australia would be benefited by a recent decision of the Fijian Government to charge ad valorem duties on the depreciated value of the Australian pound and the appreciated value of the English pound. Thus, an article which cost £1 in Aus tralia would be dutiable at about 18/-, and goods valued at £1 in England would be dutiable at about 22/6.
The level of New Zealand currency was the same as that of Fijian currency.
Another move in favour of Australia had resulted from the Ottawa Confer ence, in consequence of which the pre ferentian tariff of 10 to 15 per cent, in favour of New Zealand had been can celled on October 13.
Sir Maynard Hedstrom said that the present season’s sugar crop was ex pected to give a new record yield. This followed a number of bad seasons caused by hurricanes and floods. With excellent prospects for sugar, business generally had improved in the islands.
The quota of Fiji bananas to be ad mitted into the Commonwealth under the Ottawa agreement, he said, was so small that he was surprised anything had been said about it by Australian growers. In any case he doubted if the quota would be reached, at any rate for several months, as Fijian growers had been growing almost exclusively for the New Zealand market.
Australia's Advantage.
Suva, Nov. 9.
Merchants here do not like the new method of computing Customs duty. It gives too much to Australia. It actually means that the tariff on English and Canadian goods will be increased and the advantage of the new method will be with Australia, except that many lines imported from the Commonwealth carry a specific duty. These include flour, coffee, beer, wines, and cocoa. On unspecified lines Australia obtains pre ference over New Zealand, amounting approximately to 2 per cent.
The position now is that on that basis on a £100 invoice, duty on English goods will be paid at the rate of £110, on Aus tralian goods at £87/10/-, and on New Zealand goods at £99/10/-.