This is a Bill which is based on the Report of the Tariff Commission arising out of an application for a tariff on oats. The Bill imposes a tariff of 2/6 per cwt. on oats with two-thirds imperial preference rate. In connection with that imposition of a duty on oats it increases the existing duty on oatmeal, which is 2/6 per cwt. without imperial preference, to a rate of 6/- per cwt. with 4/- imperial preference. Ordinarily, this is not a tariff that will have any very great effect. This year, owing to the shortage of the oat crop, it has definitely affected the price of oats here, but ordinarily it might well not affect the price of oats at all or only very slightly indeed. It will, however, ensure that the price of oats will not be depressed unreasonably or unnaturally in any year by any sort of bounty-fed, or special importation of, oats into the country. While it is a matter of some importance to require careful investigation—the Tariff Commission heard evidence from all sides —it is the kind of tariff which in a normal year will have little or no effect. It will at any rate ensure that there will not be some external factor operating to cause quantities of oats, which are not really required here, to be imported and unnaturally to depress prices.
So far as seed oats is concerned, the view of the Tariff Commission, which I think is the correct view, is that this will lead to the production in this country of all the seed oats required. A number of years ago, when a tariff on oats was first mooted, it was thought that there would be a case for the exemption of seed oats. It is clear that there would be a great deal of administrative difficulty in the exemption of seed oats. It would require the keeping of records as well as inspections, and would cause trouble and expense which would hardly be justify. The view taken by the Tariff Commission was that there was no reason why seed oats that are required in the country should not be produced here, and that in fact benefits might follow from the production of seed oats in the country because then there could be something better than good commercial varieties of oats supplied for seed. Most of the seed oats imported is only good commercial oats.