HC Deb 19 July 1881 vol 263 cc1261-2
LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL

asked the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Whether Her Majesty's Government, in signing the Protocol between Great Britain and Servia on the 4th July, have assented to the preferential duty on iron, manufactured and partly manufactured, accorded to Austria by the Treaty by Austria and Servia of the 6th of May 1881, in violation of Article 8 of the Treaty between this Country and Servia of the 7th February 1880, which provides that— Every reduction in the tariff of import and export duties, as well as every favour or immunity which has been or may hereafter be granted by one of the contracting parties to the subjects or commerce of a third Power, shall be granted simultaneously and unconditionally to the other, except as regards such special facilities as have been, or may hereafter be, conceded no the part of Servia to the neighbouring States with respect to the local traffic between their conterminous frontier districts; whether Lord Granville, on the 14th June, demanded that iron and steel should be admitted into Servia duty free; whether, on the 22nd June, after a conversation between the Under Secretary and M. Marinovitch, held on the 16th, Lord Granville abandoned all claims in favour of the British iron trade, and fully accepted the Servian proposals; and, whether the question of the duties on iron, which the Under Secretary stated a fortnight afterwards was still under discussion with the Servian Government, had not been finally settled by the Despatch of the 22nd June?

SIR CHARLES W. DILKE

Sir, the state of the case with regard to the arrangements referred to is fully explained in Lord Granville's despatch to Mr. Locock, of the 8th instant, contained in the Parliamentary Paper No. 24 (Commercial), of this Session. The noble Lord is possibly not aware that the Austrians have always paid 3 per cent on these classes of goods. We have never sent any to Servia, and have obtained as the consideration for waiving our Treaty rights upon this point a reduction of duty on woollen and cotton yarns, in which some trade is done, from 8 per cent to 5 per cent. On the 14th of June, Her Majesty's Government asked that certain iron and steel wares should be admitted into Servia duty free. On the 22nd of June, M. Marinovitch was informed that this particular demand was withdrawn. But the precise rate of duty for these wares was still in discussion, and it was not finally settled until the 2nd of this month. Several interviews took place between Mr. Gould, Her Britannic Majesty's late Minister in Servia, and M. Marinovitch, between the 22nd of June and the 2nd of July, and the last of these interviews was held late at night on the 1st of July.

LORD RANDOLPH CHURCHILL

gave Notice that he would raise the whole question at the Evening Sitting on the Report of Supply.