HC Deb 04 July 1881 vol 262 cc1961-3
VISCOUNT SANDON

asked the Prime Minister, Whether he was aware that the Secretary of the Board of Trade had given Notice to oppose his Motion for a translation into English of the Return presented to the House in May, which gave, in the French language only, the articles and changes of duty of the new French Tariff; and, if so, whether that course had the sanction of Her Majesty's Government?

MR. CHAMBERLAIN

rose, amid calls for Mr. Gladstone: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is not in possession of the facts, and he has therefore asked me to make a statement in reply to the Question of the noble Lord. In order to make myself clear, I must remind the House that on the previous occasion the noble Lord asked whether I would have any objection to furnish a translation of the General Tariff which has been presented to the House as a Parliamentary Paper, and on that occasion I told him there were certain objections to the preparation of this translation, but that I proposed to communicate with the Chambers of Commerce, as being the persons most likely to be interested in the matter; and as soon as I had received their replies, I offered to communicate with the noble Lord, and, if I found there was any desire for the translation among the commercial classes, to grant it without any difficulty. I have not yet received those replies; I have received only a very few at present. In the meantime, the noble Lord expresses his intention of going on with his Motion for the Return. If the matter is to be raised by way of discussion before this information is obtained, I think it is undesirable that it should be raised after half-past 12 o'clock; and, under those circumstances, instead of taking the usual course and getting a private Member to put down a Notice of opposition, I thought it would be more frank and fair to the noble Lord to put the Motion in the name of the Parliamentary Secretary.

VISCOUNT SANDON

It is necessary to remind the House that I said to the right hon. Gentleman I should not be satisfied with the answers of the Chambers of Commerce. I beg leave to say that if I am to consider this as a refusal I shall withdraw my Notice of Motion, and at the earliest possible opportunity call attention to the persistent refusal of Her Majesty's Government to give the country the fullest information, in the English language, respecting the changes and large increase in the duties proposed to be levied by France upon articles of British produce and manufacture, so that the information should be accessible, not only to Chambers of Commerce and to manufacturers, but also to all the large classes of workmen whose various industries are most seriously affected by the French Customs duties.

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

Perhaps I may be allowed to remind the noble Lord, in answer to the Notice he has just given—because I think it is really an answer to a part of it—that it has already been stated to the House— ["Order!"]—it has already been twice stated to the House that the negotiations—["Order!"]

MR. J. G. TALBOT

I beg to ask you, Sir, whether it is in accordance with the custom of this House for an hon. Gentleman opposite to give any reply to a Notice?

MR. SPEAKER

I understand the hon. Baronet was offering some information with reference to the matter of which the noble Lord has given Notice. As far as the hon. Baronet went before he was interrupted, it certainly did not occur to me that he was out of Order.

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

I only wish, for the information of the House, to state a bare fact, which has a close connection with the subject of the Notice of the noble Lord—that the Tariff which has formed the basis of discussion between the English and the French Commissions in the recent negotiations is not the General Tariff, and is a confidential document at the present time.

VISCOUNT SANDON

I shall be very glad if the Government will give a day to discuss this. It is a very important question. [Laughter.] I hope hon. Members will do me the courtesy, when an appeal has been made to me, to allow me to reply to it. There is plenty to be said on the subject of these confidential negotiations, of which the country knows nothing.