15081.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :--
TILLC.O. 885
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14 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
1
SIR,
No. 143.
(CANADA.)
LAW OFFICERS to COLONIAL OFFICE.
Royal Courts of Justice, July 12, 1897.
WE were honoured with your commands signified in Mr. Bramston's letter of the 5th instant, stating that, with reference to the letter from the Colonial Office of the 27th May last respecting the Canadian Customs Tariff Resolutions, he was directed by
you to transmit to us a copy of a letter from the Foreign Office suggesting that we should F.O.July2. be asked to report on the additional point set forth in that letter.
That a list of the Treaties containing most-favoured-nation clauses in which Canada was included was enclosed, and that the actual text of the various clauses would be found in the accompanying Blue Book (C. 7229), except those numbered 12 and 24a, which would be found in the paper "Treaty Series No. 15, of 1895," and in the note from Sir H. D. Wolf to Senor Moret of 20th June 1894-of which copies were enclosed.
That you would be glad if we would take the papers into consideration and inform you whether, in the event of our reply to question (2) in the reference addressed to us on the 27th of May being in the affirmative, and in the event of the rights of Belgium and Germany being extinguished by the denunciation of the Treaties of 1862 and 1865, or by the termination of the particular clauses of those Treaties now in question, the most-favoured- nation clauses of any or all of the other Treaties which include Canada, would render it necessary for Canada to grant unconditionally to the Countries possessing those most- favoured-nation stipulations any tariff advantages accorded by Canada to any Foreign Country that had fulfilled the conditions of reciprocity mentioned in the Canadian Tariff Resolutions.
We have taken the papers into our consideration, and, in obedience to your commands. have the honour to
Report-
That in the event supposed, i.e., of Canada granting any tariff advantages to any Foreign Country fulfilling the conditions of reciprocity mentioned in the Tàrift Resolutions-the most-favoured-nation clauses would render it necessary for her to grant the same advantages unconditionally to the following Countries, viz. :-Argentine. Austria-Hungary, Bolivia. Columbia, Denmark, Persia, Russia, Sweden, Tunis, and Venezuela. Switzerland should also, we think, be included. Though the words of Art. IX. of the Treaty are not very clear, we think they are sufficient to include the Colonies.
We think that this is not so in the cases of France and Spain, as it appears to us that the question of parity of conditions may fairly be implied in the agreements with these Countries, but even in these cases the construction which might be put upon the terms agreed cannot be regarded as free from difficulty.
The Right Hon. J. Chamberlain, M.P.,
&c.,
&c.
We have, &c.,
RICHARD E. WEBSTER. ROBERT B. FINLAY.
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