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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

4

That such arrangements are not precluded by any of the existing treaties between Her Majesty's Government and Foreign Powers Lord Ripon presumes may be taken for granted in view of the Law Officers' Reports of the 6th of May 1871 and the 14th of January 1882, but before taking any action in the matter he would be glad to be

the Board of Trade

may have to offer on the favoured with any observations which

subject.

4653.

Lord Kimberley

I

&c. am,

(Signed) JOHN BRAMSTON.

COLONIAL OFFICE to the HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR CANADA.

No. 4.

[Answered by No. 6.]

Downing Street, March 31, 1894. SIB,

your I AM directed by the Marquess of Ripon, to acknowledge the receipt of letter of the 16th instant respecting the wish of yourself and representatives of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal and some of the Australasian Colonies to see his Lord- ship in reference to various questions relating to trade and steam and telegraphic cʊm- munication between Canada and other Colonics.

Lord Ripon desires me to acquaint you that he will be happy to see you and the other representatives mentioned in your letter at this office on Wednesday next the 4th of April at 3 o'clock p.m., which he trusts will be convenient to you.

5452.

No. 5.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

JOHN BRAMSTON.

BOARD OF TRADE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received March 31, 1894.)

Board of Trade (Commercial

Department), London, S.W., March 31, 1894.

SIR,

I AM directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 22nd instant,t stating, by direction of the Marquess of Ripon, that the High Commissioner for Canada and the representatives of most of the Australasian Colonies are desirous of urging upon Her Majesty's Government the importance of amending the Act of 1873 regarding customs duties in the Australasian Colonies, so as to enable preferential trade arrangements to be made between the Colonies of Australasia and other Colonies of the British Empire.

In reply to Lord Ripon's request to be furnished with any observations which the Board of Trade may have to offer upon the subject, I am to state that the Board of Trade concurs in his Lordship's desire to promote closer relations between the various parts of the Empire, and especially between the great North American and Austra- lasian groups; and would welcome any steps which could properly be taken to encourage this object.

The Board of Trade agree with the opinions expressed by the Law Officers in 1871 and 1882, that the Anglo-Belgian and Anglo-German treaties do not preclude pre- ferential trade arrangements being entered into between the Colonial possessions of Great Britain. They observe, however, that the report of the Law Officers of the 6th May 1871 states that the Legislature of a British possession is not precluded from imposing on articles being the produce of the states of the Zollverein any bigher 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

• No. 2.

↑ No. 3.

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other than the duties imposed on articles of the like kind being the produce of the Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. They also observe that the report of the Law Officers on 14th January 1882, while concurring in the view that the most favoured nation clause in foreign treaties does not affect the right of this country to extend to the produce of its colonies more favourable treatment than it accords to the produce of foreign or third countries, is silent as regards the reciprocal power of the Colonies to admit goods the produce of the United Kingdom, on duties lower than are charged on similar goods the produce of foreign countries with whom we have Treaty obligations. And upon this point it is to be noted that the Trade and Treaties Con- mittee in a confidential report dated February 10th, 1891, copy of which was sent to the Colonial Office, pointed out that the undoubted effect of two particular clauses in the Anglo-Belgian Treaty and in the Anglo-Zollverein Treaty was to prevent lower duties being charged in British Colonies on the importation of goods the produce of the United Kingdom than are charged on similar goods the produce of Belgium or Ger- If this is the case, and if lower duties on each other's produce and manufactures were reciprocally adopted by Canada and the Australasian Colonies, British produce and manufactures would be differentially treated, and would pay the higher duties chargeable on the produce of foreign countries and of such colonies as are not parties to preferential arrangements.

many.

Such discrimination against goods the produce of the Mother-country would, in the opinion of the Board of Trade, be likely to lead to serious complaints from the manu- facturing and industrial classes of this country in the not unlikely event of Canada or any other Colony becoming a competitor with Great Britain in some special branch of manufacture, and such complaints would not be easy to answer.

In view, therefore, of this and other objections which may be urged to a general extension of the Act of 1873, the Board of Trade are of opinion that it would be prefer- able at the present time only to express readiness to consider favourably any special fiscal arrangements between such Colonies as desire to make them, having regard in each case to geographical, as well as to economic, considerations.

In the case of such an arrangement being proposed between Canada and the Austra- lasian Colonies as regards food and raw materials only, the objections of the industrial and manufacturing classes of this country would probably not be so serious as if a general power to discriminate were sought from the Imperial Legislature.

In the second report of the late Trade and Treaties Committee, to which I have already referred, the question of Treaty restrictions is fully stated, as well as the general considerations involved in the proposals which bave been made in recent years for closer commercial relations with the Colonies.

5684.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

No. 6.

COURTENAY BOYLE.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR CANADA to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received April 3, 1894). Victoria Chambers, 17, Victoria Street, London, S.W.

April 3rd, 1894.

SIR,

I BEG to acknowledge Mr. Bramston's letter of the 31st ultimo,* and to state that Sir Thomas McIlwraith, the Hon. Mr. Reid, my colleagues, and I will wait upon the Secretary of State to-morrow, at 3 o'clock as arranged.

In the meantime I enclose, for his Lordship's information, a copy of a memorandum on one of the subjects mentioned in my letter of the 16th ultimot-the amendment of the Imperial Statute, Vict. 36, c. 22, relating to Customs Duties in the Australasian Colonies.

• No. 4.

I am, &c.

. (Signed)

CHARLES TUPPER.

† No. 2.

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