RECR
REGE TO DEC
406
Sir,
No. 1.
Mr. W. H. Hill to Sir Villiers Lister.--(Received December 2.)
Chamber of Commerce and Manufacturers,
7, West George Street, Glasgow, November 30, 1886.
I AM to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 27th instant, and to say that the Directors of this Chamber and their Committee on Foreign Affairs have had under their careful consideration the communications with which they have been favoured by Her Majesty's Foreign Office on the Franco-Chinese Treaty.
With the view of submitting reliable observations in reply to the Foreign Office letter of the 15th July, the Directors' Committee deemed it right to put themselves in communication with the Chambers of Commerce of and merchants in Manchester and London, which are the chief seats of export to and import from China, Glasgow's interest being mainly through these cities.
On the 2nd September the Committee of the Chamber received a Report by their Chairman, that under Article VI of the above Treaty, it was provided that the duty on imports from France through Tonquin into China would be one-fifth, and by Article VII on exports via Tonquin to France one-third less than the duties imposed under the Chinese Maritime Tariff; but that owing to the badness of the roads, and the defective means of internal communication, this difference of duty need not be considered as conferring any material preference or advantage on France over the other nations interested in the Chinese Treaty ports.
And at their meeting on the 24th current, the subject being under consideration, the following was minuted:
"The Chairman informed the meeting of the result of the inquiry as to the views of the Chambers of Commerce in Manchester and London respecting the Treaty, and read a letter from Messrs. Matheson and Co., London, with relative Memoranda on the subject, from which it appeared that as stated in the Minutes of this Committee's meeting of the 2nd September last, the reduction in the Franco-Chinese Tariffs upon both French exports and imports was neutralized by the difficulties of frontier transit, and that France did not thereby obtain any material advantage over the other nations interested in the Treaty ports. It was accordingly agreed to report to that effect, but at the same time to recommend the Directors in sending this reply to the Foreign Office inquiry of the 22nd July to memorialize Her Majesty's Government that whenever opportunity offered to press upon the Chinese Government the great benefit to both nations that would result from the opening up of the water-ways of South China to foreign as well as to native steam navigation; and further, that in the forthcoming Treaty negotiations with that country relative to the Burmese frontier, care should be taken to secure under our most-favoured-nation clause the same reduction upon the maritime duties that the French have been accorded in the Tonquin Treaty."
This Report comes up for consideration at the monthly meeting of the Directors on the 13th proximo, when the Committee believe the Directors will adopt their recommendation, in which case I am to ask you to accept this letter as a communication of the views of the Directors.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
WILLIAM H. HILL, Secretary.
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