§ MR. CRUM-EWINGsaid, he wished to ask the Secretary to the Treasury, If he will state at what date the new Regulations as to the amount of Drawback on Sugar, to be allowed by France, Holland, and Belgium respectively, as provided for by the recent Convention, are to come into operation; and, in the event of that being delayed beyond the 1st day of March, whether the change of the Duties and Drawbacks on Sugar in this country shall be postponed, in order that the change may take place simultaneously in all the countries which are parties to the Convention?
§ MR. HUNTAs soon, Sir, as the Resolutions were passed by this House they were communicated, through the Foreign Office, to the Powers who are parties to the Convention, with a request that they would furnish the British Government with information as to the date at which they would be prepared to carry out the arrangement. At present an answer has been received from Belgium only, stating that the Government of Belgium were prepared to carry out the arrangements on the 1st of March in case the other Governments would do the same. It would be obviously disadvantageous to our interests if the high drawbacks now existing in foreign countries should not come to an end at the time the new scale of duties here began, and therefore the Government propose, unless they are assured by the other three parties to the Convention that they 813 will be prepared to make the change on the 1st of March, to delay the passing of the Bill through this House, so that we may be in a position to alter the date from the 1st of March to any subsequent date that may be agreed upon by the four Powers, and that the new scale may come into operation in all countries simultaneously.