HC Deb 23 March 1843 vol 67 cc1319-20
Mr. Ewart

understood that a 3s. duty was to be laid on foreign corn brought into Canada, and that it was then to be brought into this country duty free, or at a nominal duty. Now, would it be the same with foreign corn, taken from any part of Europe, as with coffee, that, if it were taken to any part of Canada, it would be, as it was called, naturalized, and come into the United Kingdom on the same terms as United States corn?

Mr. Gladstone

said that it seemed to be apprehended that the corn of foreign countries, carried into British colonies, and thence brought here, would not be subject to the same duty here as foreign corn. The hon. Gentleman seemed to imagine that the principle of the British law was, that foreign articles brought into British colonies, and thence imported into this country, were considered as articles of colonial produce. Such, however, was not the case. In order for articles to be admitted on payment of the colonial duty, it was necessary that they should be the produce of the colonies, as well as imported from them. With regard to raw materials brought into the colonies, manufactured there, and then imported into this country, they were considered as articles of colonial produce, inasmuch as all manufactured articles were considered as the produce of the countries where they were manufactured. Since the Customs Act of last year there was no such thing as acquiring a colonial character by being carried into a British colony.

Mr. Ewart

begged to inquire what was the law with regard to flour, which stood in the position of manufactured goods?

Mr. Gladstone

If corn was ground in the colony the flour was deemed to be the produce of the colony.

Lord John Russell

begged to ask the noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies, whether he had received such intelligence as would enable him shortly to introduce the measure upon the question of the introduction of wheat into Canada, which he promised to bring forward?

Lord Stanley

stated that he should be prepared to introduce the measure shortly after Easter.

Mr. Curteis

said that as his constituents were much interested in the question of the importation of wheat into Canada, he begged to be permitted to ask a further explanation from the right hon. the Vice-President of the Board of Trade upon the subject to which allusion had been made by the hon. Member for Dumfries. He wished to ask whether the right hon. Gentleman meant to say that corn, carried from any part of the world to Canada, at a 3s. duty, when manufactured there, might be imported into this country free of duty?

Mr. Gladstone

would answer the hon. Member by referring him to the general provisions of the law, which had existed for many years. According to the law, any articles manufactured in a colony were deemed to be the produce of that colony. Flour had been always considered to fall within the description of a manufactured article.