§ MR. PHILIP STANHOPE (Burnley)I beg to ask the Secretary of State whether, in view of the statement made by him in the House of Commons on the 21st of February last, and which he then announced was also acquiesced in by Lord Salisbury, as to the impolicy of imposing cotton duties upon English goods in India, the Government propose to take steps for the repeal of those duties; and whether the Government, as a preliminary to their repeal, will call upon the Government of India to impose a general and equivalent Excise Duty upon all qualities of cotton cloth manufactured in India, in order to render those Duties absolutely non-protective in their character?
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON,) Middlesex, Ealingsaid: I have received a Memorial from the representatives of the various cotton industries in Lancashire stating fully and clearly their objections to the present Excise Duty levied on cotton yarns in India, and pointing out that in their opinion such a duty does 785 not remove or counterbalance the protective character of the Customs Duty to which all imported cotton goods are subject. This Memorial will be sent to India, and the Indian Government requested to state their side of the case. I may add that I adhere to the speech I made on the 21st of February last, and have nothing to retract in connection with it. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ MR. STANHOPEMay I ask the noble Lord whether, as he adheres to his speech of the 21st February, the Government of which he is so important a Member will take steps to repeal these duties? ["Hear, hear!"]
§ * LORD G. HAMILTONI think that my hon. Friend had better read my speech first. What I then stated was that the objection to the imposition of the duties was much more serious than the majority of the House believed; and I further stated that there was great difficulty in framing a satisfactory Excise Duty to counterbalance a Customs Duty. To both those opinions I adhere.
§ MR. STANHOPEasked whether the noble Lord would be able to give any more definite answer to the inquiry than he now afforded to the House on the occasion of the Debate to be raised on this subject on the Indian Budget.
§ * LORD G. HAMILTONMy hon. Friend will see that this is a mutter of some difficulty and of great delicacy, and I certainly ought not to be expected to give any opinion on the question until the Indian Government have had an opportunity of fully stating their views on the subject. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ MR. FLYNNasked whether it was not the fact that a large number of Lancashire Members were returned at the last Election pledged to the repeal of these duties. ["Hear, hear!"]
§ * MR. SPEAKER"Order, order!"
MR. GIBSON BOWLES (Lynn Regis)asked whether the opinion of the Indian Government had not been previously stated on this question, and whether the opinion now asked for was to be based upon any new facts.
§ * LORD G. HAMILTONThe whole situation is new, because the Excise Duty only recently came into operation, and until some time has elapsed it will be impossible to say exactly what the effect of that duty will be.
§ SIR W. WEDDERBURN (Banffshire)Is the noble Lord now able to tell us more precisely the date on which the Indian Budget will be taken?
§ * LORD G. HAMILTONI am afraid that that does not depend upon me, but upon the hon. Gentleman and his friends. [Laughter.] The Indian Budget will be taken when we get through Supply.