HC Deb 03 March 1843 vol 67 cc249-50
Mr. Labouchere

begged to put a question to the noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies upon a subject of considerable importance, and with respect to which there existed a good deal of misapprehension. The noble Lord, a short time since, stated to the House that it was the intention of the Government, in the course of the present Session, to permit the admission of Canadian flour into this country at a nominal duty, provided the legislature of Canada passed measures satisfactory to the Government, with a view to the prevention of fraud. The noble Lord stated, at the same time, that the legislature of Canada had passed a bill, levying a duty of 3s. a quarter upon wheat passing from the United States into Canada. Now, upon this statement, an impression had gone forth to the public that it was the intention of the Government to limit the privilege of admission at a nominal duty to flour, the produce of wheat grown in Canada—that it was the intention of the Government to alter, in that respect, the law which at present existed, and which contained no such restriction. He believed that this was a misapprehension; but as it prevailed amongst many Gentlemen connected with the Canada trade, perhaps the noble Lord would be kind enough to state distinctly what the intentions of the Government were upon the point

Lord Stanley

had no difficulty in answering the question—the only difficulty was to imagine how the misapprehension to which the right hon. Gentleman had adverted could ever have arisen. The existing law made no distinction between flour manufactured from wheat, the produce of the United States, and flour manufactured from wheat the produce of Canada. As long as the flour was manufactured in Canada, it had always been imported into this country as Canadian produce; and there was no intention on the part of her Majesty's Government to make any alteration in that provision of the law. There was no intention of drawing any distinction not now drawn with regard to flour coming from Canada, whether it were the growth of the United States or of the Canadas.