§ MR. BAINESsaid, he would beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade questions relative to the Treaty of Commerce with France, namely, first, it having been stated that applications are pressed upon our leading commercial men to proceed to Paris, under the auspices of the Board of 516 Trade, to convince the French Commissioners that liberality is the true policy, whether it is true that leading commercial men have been pressed to proceed to Paris, and, if so, for what purpose; and, secondly, it having been publicly alleged that the Treaty is an universally admitted failure, whether the President of the Board of Trade can state if anything has occurred in the progress of the negotiations, to cause the Government or their negotiators to believe that the Supplementary Convention will fail to carry out the original design of the Treaty?
§ MR. MILNER GIBSONIf it has been stated that the Board of Trade have urged upon any commercial gentlemen to go to Paris in order to convince the French Commissioners that "liberality is the true policy," I can assure my hon. Friend that the statement is entirely incorrect. No commercial gentleman has been asked to go to Paris for any such purpose; but, it being necessary under the Treaty that a Supplementary Convention should be con-eluded in order to convert the ad valorem duties into specific duties, and also to settle the actual amount of such duties, it was thought desirable to obtain from the Chambers of Commerce, and from persons interested in the various branches of industry affected, the best information possible, in order that the conversion might not take place in a manner disadvantageous for the interests of the trade of this country for want of information. The Chambers of Commerce were invited to supply the Board of Trade with information, and it was suggested that deputations should go to Paris. But the suggestion thrown out on our part was that delegates should go to Paris, sent by the Chambers of Commerce, representing the various branches of trade and industry affected, in order to supply the special information practically necessary to settle the details of the Treaty. That was the course taken, and that was the most reasonable and the most proper course to be taken; and unless it had been taken, it would not have been possible to convey to the Commissioners the special information on the various branches of our manufactures and industry which it was necessary for them to possess in settling the duties. There is not, therefore, the slightest truth in the statement that any gentlemen have been sent by the Board of Trade for the purpose of recommending any particular policy. Those gentlemen 517 went to Paris for the simple purpose of supplying the necessary information, which can only be afforded by skilled persons connected with the various manufactures and trades that will be affected by the Treaty. In answer to the other Question which my hon. Friend has put—whether the Treaty is not held to be an universally admitted failure, I will only say that such a statement is entirely new to me. As far as I am aware, the negotiators are succeeding in carrying out, by a Supplementary Convention, the original design and intention of the Treaty. All that I hear leads me to believe that its practical commercial value has been much underrated.