Wines and Spirits.

Importers of these goods complain of a recent regulation, which allows one sample only to be taken from a shipment in wood, instead of a sample from each cask as was previously allowed. This restriction is all the more vexatious, as each cask has to be gauged, and a sample taken out of the cask for the purpose of ascertaining the strength. A sample from each cask is necessary to enable the importer to examine the character of the shipment, as it frequently occurs that the contents of a parcel of the same brand, more particularly of whisky and brandy, vary page 5 in quality and colour. Since the recent regulation has been in force, considerable inconvenience has been occasioned by the cancellation of sales on account of a shipment varying somewhat from the sample drawn by the Customs.

The practice followed here with regard to samples is different from that adopted by the neighbouring Colonies, where there is evidently more consideration given to the requirements and convenience of importers.

The Committee trusts that the Conference in Wellington will cause the recent regulation restricting importers to one sample from a shipment of spirits to be withdrawn, and arrange that samples of spirits and wines should be allowed duty free to the extent of one pint from each quarter-cask, and one bottle from each parcel of cases, if required by the consignee.

Some means should be taken by the Customs to regulate the gauging of the quantity and strength of case spirits, so that all consignees should be put on a uniform footing. By the present system it frequently occurs, for example, that two parcels of Hennessy's brandy arriving to different consignees by the same ship, which, although invoiced of the same contents, are yet assessed by the Customs one parcel a gill, or even two gills, more than the other.

The attention of the Committee has been called to the serious loss and inconvenience caused to importers by inconsiderate alterations of the Tariff. The following will illustrate what is complained of:—

Towards the end of the session of 1880 an Act to alter the Customs Tariff was passed, providing, among other things, that on and after 1st March, 1881 (thus giving six months' notice), duty on case spirits should be charged on the reputed contents: that is to say, cases of geneva—which should contain four gallons, instead of under three gallons, to which the competition of trade has reduced them, and cases of brandy and whisky, which are supposed to contain two gallons each, but which are imported at several gills under that quantity—should be charged duty on four gallons and two gallons respectively, thus doing away with the inducement to import small contents.

Importers here hailed the change as a step in the right direction, and made the necessary arrangements for importing only full contents; but, to their dismay, towards the end of the session of 1881 the clause in the Act of the previous year, providing for duty being charged on the reputed contents of case spirits, was repealed without warning, involving all those who had observed the requirements of the Act in serious loss.