§ GENERAL GOLDSWORTHYOn behalf of the hon. Member for Wands-sworth, Mr. H. KIMBER, I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) whether he is aware that the German Government are, by granting subsidies to certain steam shipping lines and rebates on railway carriage for German goods for the express purpose of competing with English Free Trade to our own Colonies and South Africa, thus driving many descriptions of English goods out of these markets; and, (2) whether the Government will take steps, by negotiation or otherwise, to prevent action by Foreign Powers which may be hostile to British trade with various parts of the world.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. J. BRYCE,) Aberdeen, S.The Board of Trade are not aware that English goods are being driven out of the markets of our own Colonies and South Africa from the cause mentioned in the question. As respects the second paragraph of the question, Her Majesty's Government do not believe that negotiations with Foreign Powers would be likely to have the effect desired by the hon. Member, but they do believe that the policy of Free Trade followed by this country is, so far as their own action is concerned, the policy best calculated to promote in the future, as it has promoted in the past, British trading interests throughout the world.