This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.
CHINA TRADE.
14 APP 08 [March 24.]
306
CONFIDENTIAL.
SECTION 1.
[10161]
No. 1.
Board of Trade to Foreign Office.--(Received March 24.)
THE Principal of the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade presents his compliments to the Chief of the Commercial Department of the Foreign Office, and begs to state that the substance of the information contained in the papers inclosed with the Foreign Office letter dated the 4th February (with regard to alleged imitations of British trade-marks on Japanese goods sold in China) was communicated to all the British firms concerned.
Representatives of four of these firms, viz., Messrs. Christy (hats), Messrs. Dent (gloves), Messrs. Price (candles), and Messrs. Day and Martin (russet cream), have since called and have each stated that they were not previously aware that their trade-mark was being imitated on goods sold in China. Messrs. Christy stated that they ship considerable quantities of their hats to Japan, and that the Japanese buyers sell them in Manchuria and Corea. They therefore think that the Consul at Newchwang may possibly be mistaken in thinking that because the hats have been shipped from Japan the trade-mark is therefore an imitation, but in the absence of any samples they are unable to say definitely. The other three firms also say that without samples showing the alleged imitations of their trade-marks they are unable to take any action.
As the information conveyed to the firms is obviously incomplete, and to a certain extent valueless, in the absence of the samples, the Principal of the Commercial Intelligence Branch will be glad if the Foreign Office could write to His Majesty's Ambassador at Tokio asking his Excellency to forward immediately the samples in his possession or, if already forwarded, to say when they may be expected here.
Board of Trade, March 23, 1908.
[2889 aa-1]