Buston House ©
прод
No. 417.
Sir,
RECEIVED
28 AUG 193A
a. C. i.
614
GOVERNMENT HOUSE.
HONG KONG, 27th July, 1933.
I have the honour to inform you that I have
received representations that the existing drawback
regulation which prevents the granting of drawback in
the case of exports of manufactured tobacco made wholly
or in part of Empire grown leaf, is against the spirit
of the Ottawa Agreement as tending to discourage the
use of Empire raw tobacco.
2.
The reason for such a regulation is purely
financial. It would be easy to provide for payment of
drawback in the case of exports made wholly from Empire
leaf, but I understand that there is no likelihood of
such tobacco ever being manufactured here. If Empire
leaf could be used at all, it would be in blends composed
mostly of Chinese and cheap Virginian leaf and no method
is known by which the amount of Empire leaf in any given
blend can be ascertained, when samples are examined for
the purpose of granting drawback.
While therefore I desire to further Empire
trade to the best of our ability, it is necessary to
protect the revenue against the payment of drawback at
full rates on tobacco which has only paid the lower
preferential rate.
THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
SIR P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER, G.B.E., M.C.,M.P.,
3.
&c.,
&C.,
&C.