647.006/54: Telegram
The Consul General at Sydney (Moffat) to the Secretary of State
Sydney, June
5, 1936—5 p.m.
[Received June 6—2:13 p.m.]
Recent Ministerial speeches taken in conjunction with customhouse
communiqués have now clarified the procedure in applying the
Government’s new restrictive measures to point where there can be no
further misunderstandings on the part of the business community. For
us to request a more formal broadcasting might hereto only result in
an uncompromising statement of intentions which would make an
eventual liberalization of procedure more difficult.
In order that the Department may have a brief summary of the
situation insofar as it affects American trade which could be made
available to business interests in the United States I submit the
following:
- “1. Only such American goods as are on the so-called
prohibited list which has been released by the
Australian customs representative in New York require an
import license.
- 2. Licenses will be granted for goods on the
prohibited list which were ordered before May 22nd and
are in transit on or before June 30th.
- 3. Two items on the prohibited list receive special
treatment, namely, chassis and typewriters. Licenses for
import from the United States will be issued for the
year ending April 30, 1937, on a quota basis (100
percent for chassis, 75 percent for typewriters)
calculated on the number imported from the United States
during the year ended April 30, 1936. Licenses will be
rationed out to importers in proportion to each one’s
individual imports during that period.
- 4. Collectors of customs have received instructions to
refuse and are automatically refusing licenses to import
from the United States all other items on the prohibited
list unless applications are accompanied by documents
setting forth that they are unprocurable except at
greatly increased cost from countries with which the
balance of trade is in Australia’s favor or not heavily
adverse to Australia.
- 5. Applications which are accompanied by such
documents are being referred to Minister of Trade and
Customs at Canberra who will consider whether the goods
are essential goods of a kind unprocurable to better
advantage elsewhere and will rule on each case
individually.”
