§ SIR HENRY STRACEYsaid, in the absence of the noble Lord the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, he wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Whether his attention has been called to a division in the French Senate on Monday last, from which it appeared that an attempt was made to reverse a Clause in the Convention or Treaty recently entered into with this country, and which Clause referred to the rates of duty chargeable upon imported fish into France? The alteration would be an important one, and very much affect his constituents. He begged to ask the right hon. Gentleman if he would be kind enough to assure him that he would use his best endeavours to see that this Clause of the Convention or Treaty should be strictly carried out, because if it were not carried out it would doubtless be considered in the eyes of the country a very objectionable proceeding—["Order, order!"]
§ THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUERSir, I can quite appreciate the anxiety which the hon. Member on behalf of his constituents feels on this question. I have only to say that Her Majesty's Government have received no official information upon the subject of the proceedings in the French Senate, nor do we suppose that there is the slightest intention on the part of the French Government to commit a breach of faith. Indeed, it would be an injustice to them to refer to such a contingency in connection with the Convention and the Commercial Treaty. There is no reason to suppose that any intention exists to make application to the British Government for a relaxation of this part of the Commercial Treaty.