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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 11TH APRIL, 1896.
GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.--No. 138.
The following Circular Despatch with its enclosure is published.
By Command,
Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 9th April, 1896.
J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Colonial Secretary.
337
CIRCULAR.
DOWNING STREET,
17th February, 1896.
SIR, With reference to my predecessor's Circular despatch of the 31st December, 1894, I have the honour to transmit to you, for publication in the Colony under your Government, a copy of a Convention between Great Britain and Japan, signed at Tôkio, July 16, 1895, supplementary to the Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between the two countries of July 16, 1894.
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient, humble servant,
J. CHAMBERLAIN.
The Officer Administering the Government of
HONGKONG.
SUPPLEMENTARY CONVENTION BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND JAPAN RESPECTING THE DUTIES TO BE CHARGED ON BRITISH
GOODS IMPORTED INTO JAPAN.
Signed at Tôkiô, July 16, 1895.
[Ratifications exchanged at Tôkiô, November 21, 1895.]
WHEREAS, by the Protocol signed at London on the 16th of July, 1894, it was agreed between the Government of Her Britannic Majesty and the Government of His Majesty the Emperor of Japan that the ad valorem duties of the Tariff annexed to the aforesaid Protocol should, so far as might be deemed practicable, be converted into specific duties by means of a Supplementary Convention, to be concluded between the two Governments within six months from the date of that Protocol; and
Whereas this period was extended by subsequent arrangement :
The High Contracting Parties have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries to conclude a Convention for this purpose, that is to say:
Her Britannic Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, Gerard Augustus Lowther, Her Britannic Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires ;
And His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, Marquis Saïonzi Kimmochi, Junii, first class of the Order of the Sacred Treasure, His Imperial Majesty's Minister of State for Education, and Acting Minister of State for Foreign Affairs ;
Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles :
1. The Tariff annexed to this Convention shall be substituted for the ad valorem Tariff annexed to the aforesaid Protocol of the 16th of July, 1894; it shall be subject to all the stipulations contained in Article 1 of that Protocol, in so far as these are applicable, and it shall come into force one month after the exchange of the ratifications of this Convention.
2. The specific duties established by this Convention shall be subject to triennial readjustment. Such readjustment shall be based on the difference between the average of the two quarterly rates of exchange adopted by the Japanese Customs during the six months ending June 30th, 1894, and the average of the rates of exchange adopted by the Japanese Customs for the four quarters preceding that in which each successive period of three years expires.
The Schedule of readjusted duties shall be published by the Japanese Government three months in advance, and shall take effect immediately upon the expiration of the said period.
It is understood between the High Contracting Parties that the operation of this stipulation shall be subject to the acceptance of a similar arrangement by the other Powers with whom Conventional Tariffs are now being negotiated by Japan.