COPY.
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
RECO REG
& MARC
Sir,
HongKong, 19th January, 1900.
I am instructed to ask you to bring to the attention of His Excellency the Governor the fact that this Colony is not included in those British Colonies or Possessions entitled to the benefits of the British Preferential Tariff in Canada. Bermuda and the West Indies were first admitted to participation in the advantages of this Tariff, and the Canadian Minister of Customs subsequently added British India, Ceylon, Straits Settlements, and New South Wales to the favoured list, but has omitted HongKong, although it is a free port and therefore properly comes under the tariff provision (e) as follows:- "Any other British Colony or possession the customs tariff of "which, on the whole, is as favourable to Canada as the British Preferential Tariff is to such colony or possession."
It is true that at present HongKong is not a large producing Colony, but I am to point out, as an instance of how the new law works adversely to this port, that, until it came into force, a certain class of cargo, the produce of India, was being shipped to Canada via HongKong, but merchants are now shipping it via London on account of the import duty being 25% less by that route than by way of this port. No doubt other articles of export will also be directed from this channel unless HongKong is allowed to share in the privileges of the Preferential Tariff.
Believing the omission to include HongKong in the Preferential list to be the result of an oversight, my Committee will be glad if His Excellency the Governor will be good enough to represent the matter to the Secretary of State for the Colonies,
I have &c.
(Signed.) R.C. Wilcox,
Secretary.
Hon. Colonial Secretary.
Page 10
C. O.
345
7184
Page 11
10
Enclosure.
C. O.
345
7184
COPY.
HONGKONG GENERAL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
RECO REG
& MARC
Sir,
HongKong, 19th. January, 1900.
I am instructed to ask you to bring to the at- tention of His Excellency the Governor the fact that this Colony is not included in those British Colonies or Possessions entitled to the benefits of the British Preferential Tariff in Canada. Bermuda and the West Indies were first admitted to parti- cipation in the advantages of this Tariff, and the Canadian Minister of Customs subsequently added British India, Ceylon, Straits Settlements, and New South Wales to the favoured list, but has omitted HongKong, although it is a free port and there- fare properly comes under the tariff provision (e) as follows:- "Any other British Colony or possession the customs tariff of "which, on the whole, is as favourable to Canada as the British
Preferential Tariff is to such colony or possession."
11
It is true that at present HongKong is not a large producing Colony, but I am to point out, as an instance of how the new law works adversely to this port, that, until it come into force, a certain class of cargo, the produce of India, was being shipped to Canada via HongKong, but merchants are now shipping it via London on account of the import duty being 25 0/0 less by that route than by way of this port. No doubt other articles of export will also be directed from this channel unless HongKong is allowed to share in the privileges of the Preferential Tariff.
Believing the omission to include HongKong in the Preferential list to be the result of an oversight, my Committee will be glad if His Excellency the Governor will be good enough to represent the matter to the Secretary of State
for the Colonies,
I have &c.
(Signed.) R.C.Wilcox,
Secretary.
Hon. Colonial Secretary.
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