21664
19
No. 23.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.
June 17, 1907. MR. HAROLD COX asked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the number of Members of the House who are pledged to vote for the withdrawal of this country from the Brussels Sugar Convention, he would give the House an opportunity of discussing the subject before the country was committed to any other course.
SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, in reply, said:" At the present stage it would not be proper for me to add anything to the statement made by my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the 6th instant. From that statement my hon. friend will understand the nature of the communications which are now taking place with the Governments of the other contracting States on the subject of the Sugar Convention."
18897
SIR,
No. 24.
COLONIAL OFFICE to FOREIGN OFFICE.
[Answered by No. 28.]
Downing Street, June 18, 1907.
I AM directed by the Earl of Elgin to transmit to you the accompanying draft of a Circular despatch which, with Secretary Sir Edward Grey's concurrence, he proposes to address to the Governors of Colonies on the subject of the Sugar Convention.
2. I am to request the favour of an early reply to this letter.
No. 25. HOUSE OF COMMONS.
June 17, 1907.
SIR GILBERT PARKER asked the Prime Minister whether, before deciding on their present course of action with regard to the Sugar Convention, His Majesty's Government received representations from any person or persons, trader or body of traders, with regard to the desirability of denouncing, modifying, or continuing the Convention; and, if so, would he lay such representations before the House.
SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, in reply, said:-"Various representa- tions on the subject have been received by different Departments from time to time. The question of laying Papers before the House will be carefully considered."
21667
No. 26. HOUSE OF COMMONS:
June 19, 1907.
MR. MITCHELL-THOMSON (Lanarkshire, N.W.) asked the Secretary of State for India whether any representations against the imposition of sugar bounties and the formation of cartels had been received from Chambers of Commerce in India; and, if so, from what Chambers. -
THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Mr. CHARLES HOBHOUSE, Bristol, E.), in reply, said :- Representations in favour of the continuance of the Brussels Sugar Convention have been made by the Madras, Karachi, and Punjab Chambers.'
21859
SIR,
(Draft.) (Circular.)
Enclosure in No. 24.
I am, &c.,
C. P. LUCAS.
Downing Street, June
1907.
I HAVE the honour to inform you that His Majesty's Government have come to the conclusion that the limitation of the sources from which sugar may enter the United Kingdom, whether by prohibition or by the imposition of countervailing duties, is inconsistent with their declared policy, and incompatible with the interests of British consumers and sugar-using manufacturers.
2. They have, however, no desire that there should be any revival of sugar bounties under whatever form; on the contrary, it is their wish that the sugar producers of the British Colonies should be secured as far as possible from bounty- fed competition in the market of the United Kingdom.
3. His Majesty's Government have accordingly, as you will already be aware from the announcement which has been made in Parliament on the subject, intimated to the Governments of the other Contracting States. through the medium of the Belgian Government, that they do not desire to denounce the Brussels Convention, but that the continued adherence of Great Britain after the 31st of August, 1908, must depend upon the consent of the other Contracting Powers to the addition of a protocol specially exempting this country from the obligation to put in force the penal provisions of the Convention.
As soon as the decision of the other Powers is known I shall address you further.
I have, &c.,
The Officer Administering
the Government of
No. 27.
FOREIGN OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received June 19, 1907.)
[Answered by No. 32.]
The Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonics, and, by direction of the Secretary of State, transmits herewith copy of the under-mentioned paper for observations.
Foreign Office,
June 19, 1907.
DESCRIPTION OF ENCLOSURE.
Name and Date,
Subject.
Belgian Minister, June 11
Sugar Convention. (Copy also sent to Board of Trade, India Office, and Treasury.)
MONSIEUR LE SECRÉTAIRE D'ETAT,
Enclosure in No. 27.
Londres, le 11 Juin, 1907.
J'AI l'honneur de porter à la connaissance de Votre Excellence qu'à l'issue des travaux de la commission permanente des sucres, qui s'est séparé le 7 de ce mois, Son Excellence Monsieur Davignon, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères a chargé les agents belges à l'étranger d'adresser aux Gouvernements intéressés la lettre dont j'ai l'honneur de transmettre la copie, ci-jointe, à Votre Excellence.
Monsieur Davignon me charge d'exprimer à Votre Excellence l'espoir que si la proposition de saisir la commission permanente de sucres de la question posée par le Gouvernement Britannique rencontre l'assentiment unanime des Puissances in- téressées, le Cabinet de Londres voudra bien, de son côté, munir ses délégués à la commission permanente des autorisations opportunes.
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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.885
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