§ MR. SAMUEL SMITHI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any information as to the reason given by the representatives of the Netherlands at the Anti-Slavery Conference at Brussels for declining to sign the Convention, and whether this refusal was on account of objection to the articles relating to restrictions on the liquor traffic; whether he is aware that the Netherlands is largely interested in the importation of spirits into the areas affected by the Convention, and whether the objection entertained by the Netherlands to the imposition of import duties in the Congo State could be removed by increasing the duty on spirits and allowing free trade in all other merchandise; whether the refusal of the Netherlands to sign the Convention will render the whole General Act nugatory, or only the particular part to which objection is taken, and, in the absence of the adhesion of the Netherlands, will the General Act in whole or in part be binding on the Powers who have signed; and whether the proposed duty on the importation of spirits to the Congo and elsewhere is only l½d. per quart, whereas in England the duty is as high as 2s. 7½d. per quart?
* SIR J. PERGUSSONThe reason given by the Netherlands Representative for declining to sign the Convention was that the imposition of Import Duties was contrary to the provisions of the Berlin Act, which they did not consider the Brussels Conference competent to alter. Her Majesty's Government desired that a much higher rate of duty on spirits should be imposed, but were unable to procure its adoption. The proposed duty will be about l½d. a quart. I believe that negotiations are going on which, it may be hoped, will procure the removal of the objection; but the General Act will remain in suspense until all the Powers, parties to the Act of Berlin, have signed it.