German Shipping Question
p. 22 · Read in the full issue
New Guinea Trade
THE vexed question of German ships’ operations in New Guinea was dis cussed at the conference of Australian Pacific Administrators at Canberra in March.
It transpired that the Administrators were definitely against any restriction being placed on shipping. They asked that absolute freedom be given to the ships of other nations to trade within the Pacific- Territories.
Rubber Duty
The question of the reduction of the present Australian preference to rubber from the territories was discussed. It transpired that the Administrators of both Papua and New Guinea are anxious that the 2d per lb. preference shall be retained, either in the form of the present duty against other rubber or else as a direct bounty to growers in Papua and N.G. Both territories offered, in the event of this being agreed to, that they would admit all Australian rubber manufactures free of duty. They emphasised that if the 2d per lb. preference is not removed the rubber industry would become soundly established in both Territories, at a time when some such industrial development of the sort is urgently .needed.
It appeared that the present duty on rubber is strongly opposed by the Aus tralian Department of Customs which holds that it is a contravention of the prin ciple of tariff administration; the depart ment, however, would not object to the permanent bounty.