CO129-439 - Others - 1916 — Page 284

W.T.D. 7655/1816.

279 27630

WAR TRADE DEPARTMENT,

IRECT

Eli

4, CENTRAL BUILDINGS JUN 16.

WESTMINSTER, S.W.

10th June, 1916.

811,

In reply to your letter of the 31st ultimo, No. 25133/16, I am instructed by the Director of the War Trade Department to state, for the information of Mr. Secretary Bonar Law, that the President of the Silk Branch of the London Chamber of Commerce has attended before the Linen and Silk Sub-Committee of this Department, when he stated that the Hong Kong Silk trade was being entirely ruined by the prohibition. Lord Emmott feels that it is very difficult to deal with the situation adequately for the following

reasons

(1) The suggestion appears to be that raw silk and silk waste should be removed from the list of articles, the exportation of which is prohibited from Hong Kong to all foreign destinations, or that at least the prohibition should be limited to the export to certain European countries which would exclude Italy.

(2) The Foreign Office state, in a letter recently received, that the Italian Ambassador has been informed that they cannot in existing circumstances recommend the Indian Government to remove the restrictions which have been placed on the export of Silk Cocoons from India to Italy. They have also asked whether at the present moment wilk in any form is being exported in any quantity from the United Kingdom to Italy, and whether it would, in the opinion of the Silk Exporte Committee, be desirable to suspend

the