§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENTI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies if the opinion of the Law Officers of the Crown has been taken, as promised by Lord Jersey to the Imperial Conference at Ottawa, upon the exact interpretation of Article 15 of the Treaty with Belgium, of 23rd July, 1862, and Article 7 of the Treaty with the German Zollverein, of 30th May, 1865, providing that articles, the produce and manufacture of those Foreign States, and all others with whom a Most Favoured Nation Agreement exists, shall not be subject in British Colonies to other or higher duties than those which are or may be imposed on similar articles of British origin, and what are the terms of their opinion as regards the conclusion of preferential trading relations between the Mother Country and the Colonies founded for purposes of trade, between the Colonies of the Empire whether self-governing or Crown administered, be- 175 tween the United Kingdom and Her Majesty's Indian Empire, and between India and the Colonies?
§ MR. S. BUXTONThe opinion of the Law Officers has been taken on the question, and, in substance, is as follows:—The general effect of these stipulations in regard to Import Duties, on the points mentioned in the question, is that (1) They do not prevent differential treatment by the United Kingdom in favour of British Colonies; (2) they do prevent differential treatment by British Colonies in favour of the United Kingdom; (3) they do not prevent differential treatment by British Colonies in favour of each other.
§ COLONEL HOWARD VINCENTMay I ask whether that opinion has been communicated to the self-governing colonies, and whether Her Majesty's Government will consider the advisability of putting the Mother Country on the same footing with respect to Colonies as the Colonies are on with respect to each other?
§ MR. S. BUXTONYes; the self-governing colonies are aware of the fact. I must ask for notice of the rest of the hon. Member's question.