CO885-8 — Page 102

452

Meanwhile the Canadian Ministers determined to present to the Conference a Resolution affirming the principle of preferential trade, and the desirability of its adoption by the Colonies generally, and also expressing the opinion of the Prime Ministers of the Colonies that His Majesty's Government should reciprocate by granting preferential terms to the products of the Colonies in the markets of the Mother Country. The Canadian Ministers desired to have it understood that they took this course with the strong hope and expectation that the principle of preferential trade would be more widely accepted by the Colonies, and that the Mother Country would at an early day apply the same principle by exempting the products of the Colonies from Customs duties. If, after using every effort to bring about such a re- adjustment of the fiscal policy of the Empire, the Canadian Government should find that the principle of preferential trade is not acceptable to the Colonies generally, or the Mother Country, then Canada should be free to take such action as might be deemed necessary in the presence of such conditions.

London, August 11th, 1902.

453

APPENDIX XVIII.

331

1

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O. 885

Reference :---

8

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGLYPHIC-| COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-ROT TO

bos pleng :

te boulartet. -

29.1 mint the

mata to loofd, a vďƒˆ

bel

EAT!

orokgara boris

101

uf. - suojata mere muut han mot

de h

V

A

1

atten 55199 m berba

trem ai obris and bad! 41

poi dokter '

eti Jada zamona medwizib a sinst: „dium Bostonier tautint souytaequ. 1. 24 watta pesa, 10")odranët groom om du mellow nuts at uvedbius ad ton blưow #oidw obuši do (les authened wedi dedi due sobrioq FtStatic syre),ovisididorų sutes an un

(

**

read emas come to doinopny song s jadi bua,inserojmi &t9: abooy: lo zanthap

l -revod blươy akoy adi jadi banja te da lam sandl 05 orig or ke esitub зmon t

Graffimoq va dilgint amatiu 18919) as hanguli sutuloy a utrd of savo anus anda berotuloja am dawi-fi odt of meat is Innoitit un Lagitanga ini pek bu amanidbatun, vö salı gel bind & amanty te duidw shavi to

bowman est désen palð út inde potata moderniM uaibuna) ofT ban gyllarsungguhan katun sing by vigiounty oda aquos:. blnow inommier

maiaband) i, roi bung hoat on o dake vurub crisi costi utziz mobiyya♬ koulu

ban voltarisal tu „boval won matuquag at binow yoɔninių malonum?) indt

neverbetuaan daitinti da os qvim od movɛshno bu, 1799júva zda vani radarui că 1970 nysinavba besiotomi „ben:^) to atadınan oft nu atodik juros ngloro? ·

Memorandum by Board of Trade.

1. MR. SEDDON has given notice of the following Resolution to be proposed at the Conference of Colonial Premiers :-

"That owing to application of coastwise Law of United States and of other nations, time has arrived for negotiations to be opened with a view to removal of, or modification of, their restrictions on British trade, failing which that Imperial Government should take steps to protect trade of the Empire by passing law declaring that the Colonies and British Dependencies shall come within similar coastal laws."

2. It is assumed that the expression "application of coastwise law of United States and of other nations" refers to the reservation of the carrying trade between these countries and their over-sea possessions, or between separate and distant frontiers, or between the various over-sea possessions, to national vessels, and not merely to the reservation of the coasting trade properly so called, i.e., the trade from port to port along the same coast of the same country.

8. The following Memorandum contains materials collected by the Board of Trade bearing on the subject :—

4. Practice of Foreign Countries with regard to the Shipping Trade with their over-sea Possessions.

Germany, Holland, and Denmark do not reserve the trade with these possessions, or give any preference to national vessels engaged in such trade.*

France reserves the trade between her Atlantic and Mediterranean seaboards, and also (by agreement with this country) the trade between France and Algeria. Subject to this exception, the carrying trade between France and her over-sea Colonies is open to foreign vessels on equal terms with French vessels.

Spain, before the virtual extinction of her Colonial Empire, gave preferential treatment (but not an absolute monopoly) to Spanish vessels in the trade between Spain and its over-sen possessions, colonial produce brought to Spain in foreign bottoms being subject to duties in excess of those imposed on goods brought in Spanish vessels.

The general principle adopted by Portugal is to reserve the trade with its over-sea possessions and between those possessions, except where such trade is specially opened by law or decree. But the effect of the various laws and decrees has been practically to throw open the greater part of this trade. Thus the law of 1885 opened to foreign vesaola the trade between Portugal and all its possessions east of the Cape of Good Hope. A decree of 1895 threw open the trade between Portugal and Madeirs. Other decrees (in 1880, 1881, 1892) opened the trade between various specified Pórtu- guese possessions and the coasting trade in some of those possessions.

1

Bussia, since the beginning of 1900, has treated trade between its European and Asiatic ports as “Conating Trade," but in spite of the length of voyage between these porta, there is no break of continuity in the Russian territory connecting them, so that this case in mot quite on all fours with the reservation of trade with over-sea Colonies, bai is rather analogous with the policy of the United States (referred to. * ́Other, of course, then that which in somferred by the German subsidies. † See "London Gametis,” February 98, 1808.

8 T

2188.