HC Deb 25 June 1877 vol 235 cc201-2
MR. THORNHILL

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether, having regard to the injury inflicted upon the sugar producing colonies of Great Britain by the system of granting bounties on the export of sugar, adopted by various Continental countries (which injury is complained of in a Petition which has been presented to Parliament by the inhabitants of Barbadoes), Her Majesty's Government can give any assurance to the House that the Convention recently concluded at Paris will be ratified by the contracting Powers at the time specified; and, if not, if he could state what is the reason of the delay, and what steps Her Majesty's Government propose to take to place the sugar trade of the four contracting countries upon that equal footing which it has been the object of negotiations for many years past to establish?

MR. BOURKE

Sir, the draft of a Sugar Convention was signed at Paris on the 7th of March by the Delegates of Great Britain, Belgium, France, and Holland, subject to the approval of their respective Governments. In consequence of the modifications proposed by the Netherlands Government to be made in the Convention with the object of securing its acceptance by the States General, the Convention has not up to the present time been formally accepted by the Governments of the Powers interested. Her Majesty's Government have used and are using their best endeavours to bring the matter to a satisfactory issue; but it will be necessary that the Convention, when accepted by the Governments of the contracting countries, should be approved by the Legislative Assemblies of France, Belgium, and Holland before it can be ratified.