This Bill is necessary because of a number of Orders made during the earlier part of this year under the Emergency Imposition of Duties Act. As Senators are aware, any Order made under the Act by the Government imposing or altering the duty on any class of goods has to be confirmed by legislation within a period of eight months. There are a number of Orders so made and awaiting confirmation. The Orders set out in the Bill deal with cotton quilts and blankets, cast iron baths, metal pot scourers, component parts of bicycles, personal clothing and wearing apparel, plastic toilet seats and covers, cotton thread and ply yarn, ungalvanised rainwater goods, hard surface floor coverings, dressed sheepskins and agricultural forks and wooden handles. As Senators see, it is something of a mixed grill.
Some of these Orders merely effect changes in definition, amending the terms of the original Orders so as to avoid difficulty in administration. The duties imposed on cast iron baths, metal pot scourers, plastic toilet seats and covers and dressed sheepskins are new duties.
In the case of cotton quilts and cotton blankets, the only effect of the Order was to transfer the goods concerned from the category of woven articles for domestic or household use to the category of bedding. There has been no change in the rate of duty, but certain administrative difficulties have been avoided.
The Order regarding component parts of bicycles was made for the purpose of removing from the scope of duty certain parts which are not produced here or likely to be produced here in the near future.
In the case of cotton thread and agricultural forks, these goods were liable to duty before, but the duty was temporarily suspended. The duties are now being restored, but at reduced rates.
In the case of agricultural forks the duty applies also to wooden handles. Different rates of duty applied to wooden handles for different implements with the result that there was a considerable evasion of duty in some instances and advantage was taken of this Order to apply a uniform rate for all handles.
The Order dealing with personal clothing and wearing apparel restored to the clothing industry the same measure of protection which it had before the war. The iron and steel rainwater goods, referred to here, were liable to duty when protected by galvanising. The practice, however, was developing of sending these goods painted instead of galvanised and the Revenue Commissioners held that in that connection they were not liable to duty. That matter has been made right by an amending Order.
In the case of floor coverings—that is to say, oilcloth—a specific duty of 6d. per square yard was imposed in 1936. That duty became less effective with the higher prices now prevailing and has been raised by a new Order to 1/- per square yard.
It will be appreciated that not all of these Orders have any very definite effect on trade but those dealing with personal clothing and wearing apparel, cotton thread and ply yarns and, perhaps, some of the others will, I hope, have the effect of helping to overcome the present difficulties of all the textile and apparel trades which have been affected in this country, as in every country, by the trade recession that developed in the autumn of last year. It will take some time, however, before the full effects of these Orders on unemployment can be achieved.
In each of the other cases where a new Order was imposed, it was consequential upon the commencement of manufacturing and the development of a new industry. I know the Seanad will be interested as to the possible effect of these Orders upon the prices of the goods concerned. In every case where prices are subject to Control Orders, no amending of these Orders is intended consequential upon the imposition of these duties. In the case of clothing and wearing apparel, there is a system of control in operation but whether it is keeping prices down or keeping prices up may be a matter of opinion. In any event, the condition in most of these trades at present is such that competition is likely to be more effective in regulating prices than any Orders made by the Minister for Industry and Commerce. Wherever, in relation to these goods, competition is not likely to be effective, then control by profit limitation or by fixed prices is being and will be maintained.
