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Reference :---
CO. 885
No. 707. (AUSTRALIA.)
LAW OFFICERS to COLONIAL OFFICE.
Temple, May 6, 1871. MY LORD,
We are honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Mr. Holland's letter of the 27th ultimo, stating that he was directed by your Lordship to inforio us that a correspondence had taken place with the Board of Trade on the subject of the repeal of the Imperial enactments which precluded the Australian Legislatures from passing Acts to allow of the reciprocal admission of the produce and manufactures of the respective Colonies duty free, or on any terms which might be mutually agreed upon.
16
33 & 34 Vict.
That he was desired to enclose a copy of the letter to the Board of Trade, and of the several Addresses and Acts of the Colonial Legislatures therein referred to, viz. :—
A copy of an Act of the Legislature of New Zealand, entitled "An Act respecting No.99. reciprocity with the Australian Colonies and Tasmania as to Customs Duties. Addresses to the Queen from both Houses of the provincial Parliament of South Australia, praying that Her Majesty would be graciously pleased to cause a Bill to be introduced into the Imperial Parliament for the purpose of repealing all enactments which preclude the Australian Legislatures from passing Acts to allow of the reciprocal admission of the produce and manufactures of the respective Colonies duty free, or on any such other terms as may be mutually agreed upon.
That he was to enclose a copy of the report of the proceedings of an International Conference held at Melbourne, and an extract from a Despatch from the Governor of Tasmania containing explanatory remarks with regard to it.
upon
nations.
That it was to be observed that the opinion of the Board of Trade was requested the question, how far the removal of the prohibitions contained in the Imperial Acts, followed by Colonial legislation of the kind proposed in the New Zealand Bill, would be at variance with treaties which this country had entered into with foreign extract from a letter which had been Mr. Holland was pleased to enclose an received from the Board of Trade in answer with a copy of the treaty between this country and the Zollverein referred to therein, stating that he was to request that we would favour your Lordship with our opinion whether the 7th Article of the Treaty of Commerce of 1865 between this country and the German Zollverein precluded the Legislature of a British possession from imposing on articles being the produce of the States of the Zollverein any higher or other import duties than those which are imposed on articles of the like kind being the produce of another British possession.
In obedience to your Lordship's commands we have taken the matter into considera- tion, and have the honour to
Report
That the 7th Article of the Treaty of Commerce between this country and the German Zollverein does not, in our opinion, preclude the Legislature of a British possession from imposing on articles being the produce of the States of the Zollverein any higher or other import duties than those which are levied on articles of the like kind which are the produce of another British possession, provided such duties are not higher or other than the duties imposed on articles of the like kind being the produce of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
We have, &c. (Signed)
The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley.
R. P. COLLIER
J. D. COLERIDGE. TRAVERS TWISS.
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11 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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