Last Year’s Statement by

No Import Duty On

Copra

Last Year’s Statement by Australian Minister

IN 1953, replying to demands by dairying interests that Aus tralian dairying interests should be protected against the competition of margarine, by imposing a duty on PN-G copra, the Australian Minister for Territories (Mr. Has luck) said: Australia is a separate customs area from Papua and New Guinea, and Australian import duty is pay able on some Territory products (e.g., rubber, timber and coconut oil). Administrative and geographi cal connections between Australia and the Territory of Papua and New Guinea, combined with a low Territory tariff, ensure a ready market in Papua and New Guinea for many Australian-produced and manufactured products, including butter. Exports to Papua and New Guinea of Australian produce dur ing 1951-52 included — Butter, 459,502 lbs.

Cheese, 133,911 lbs.

An Australian import duty on copra would, on present prices, have to be extremely high, about £l3O per ton (against the present import price of copra of £9l per ton) if it were to eliminate the present retail price difference between butter and

table margarine. Since the manu facture of table margarine absorbs less than one-fifth of Australia’s imports of copra, the result would be that raw materials for products using (proportionately) much more copra than table margarine would be very substantially increased, without any benefit to the dairying industry. In addition, a possible future export trade in copra pro ducts would be prevented. Simil arly, a ban on imports of copra would have an effect much wider than its effect on table margarine manufacture.

There is in any case no guarantee that discriminatory tariff action against copra would have the effect desired by dairymen, as margarine can be manufactured from a wide range of oils, some of which can be produced in Australia.

Licensing legislation in force in all States provides that the produc tion of table margarine shall not exceed a certain limit.

Food products of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea are tropical

products which are not produced in Australia. Generally, the aim has been to develop crops, including copra, which are complementary to Australian production. But it is nevertheless true that the Ter ritory’s enterprises are, in the main, conducted by Australians, employ ing native people for whose ad vancement and protection Aus tralia has a definite and well recognised responsibility. fl Mr. F. W. R. Godden, who has been associated with the Placer De velopment Group for 26 years, re tired from Placer board on March 31, and also as managing-director of Bulolo Gold Dredging. He will reside in Perth, in future, where he will remain a director of Clutha Development, a subsidiary of Placer.

Mr. J. W. Austin will succeed Mr.

Godden as managing-director of BGD and Mr. Lars Bergstrand, who is operations manager at Bulolo, will join the boards of BCD and Clutha Development.