61542-1919-Blockade-of-Germany-raised-and-certain-trade-restrictions-with-other-countries-relaxed — Page 1

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, SEPTEMBER 26, 1919.

No. 447.-The following despatch of the Secretary of State for the Colonies is published for general information

CIRCULAR.

DOWNING STREET,

1st August, 1919.

SIR, I have the honour to confirm my telegrams of the 12th and 15th July with regard to the raising of the blockade of Germany and the issue of general licences autho- rising the resumption of trade generally with Germany and German Austria.

2. The raising of the blockade has rendered it possible to relax a number of the restrictions on trading with other countries, which may be summarised as follows:--

(a) It is no longer necessary for the Governments of the Colonies not possessing responsible Government and Protectorates to maintain any export prohi- bitions corresponding to section C of the United Kingdom prohibited list, and the only articles of which exportation from the Colonies and Protectorates need be prohibited are those specified in my predecessor's telegram of the 7th January as modified by subsequent despatches and telegrams, with the addition, in the case of Bulgaria, of the articles specified in the United Kingdom Lists D and E and, in the case of the coun- tries to which List D applies, the articles included in that list. Parti- culars of these lists will be found on page 10 of the pamphlet enclosed in my Circular despatch No. 2 of the 22nd May. Applications for per- mission to export goods, of which exportation from the Colonies remains prohibited, should be referred to me, except in those cases in which you have general authority to allow exports without reference to me. (b) In the case of exports to Norway, Sweden and Denmark, the requirement that goods must be consigned to particular importing associations has already been withdrawn, and a similar arrangement has now been made in the case of exports to Holland and Switzerland. Consequently exports to those countries may now be consigned direct to the importers and not to the Netherlands Oversea Trust or the Société Suisse de Surveillance Economique. It is also permissible to consign goods "to order" in the case of exports to any country.

(c) It is no longer necessary to obtain the approval of the Inter-Allied Trade Committee at Helsingfors before exports to Finland are permitted, but you should of course refer to me any applications for permission to export to Finland goods of which exportation to that country remains prohibited. There are, however, still a number of import prohibitions in force in Finland, and exporters in the Colonies should be warned that it will be necessary for them to arrange with intending consignees for the issue of the necessary import licences.

(d) In view of the fact that imports from Germany and German Austria are now permitted, it is no longer necessary to require certificates of origin in the case of imports from neutral countries contiguous to Germany or to stipulate that imports from these countries shall not contain more than 5% of enemy origin.

3. In addition to the general licences mentioned in the first paragraph, licences have already been issued allowing trade with Turkey, Bulgaria, Czecho Slovakia, Jugo Slavia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Dalmatia, and you should issue similar licences in respect of trading with those countries if you have not already done so. The effect will be that trading will in future be permissible with all enemy countries (subject, of course, to the remaining export prohibitions) except as regards the parts of Hungary not in Allied occupation, since no general licence has yet been issued authorising resumption of trade with that country.

The Officer Administering the Government of

MILNER.

HONGKONG.