§ SIR. H. VINCENTI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has received any communication from the High Commissioner for Canada and the Agents-General of the other nine self-governing Colonies, urging the exemption of Colonial wine from the operation of the new duties, on account of the injury it is feared they will do to a comparatively young industry, and calling attention to the disadvantage under which it already labours compared to the foreigner, owing to distance, freight, and having to import the casks from England; and if he will lay any such to communication upon the Table for the information of Members before the Finance Bill comes into Committee?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe answer to the first, paragraph is in the affirmative. I will lay the letter from the Agents-General upon the Table.
§ SIR H. VINCENTI beg to ask whether a cablegram has been received by Her Majesty's Government from the Prime Ministers of the seven Governments of Australasia deprecating that a course is to be taken by this country at variance with the better dispositions now prevailing in favour of making differences in respect of British goods; and whether New Zealand, Tasmania, and Western Australia have actually in preparation Bills in this sense?
MR. CHAMBERLAINA telegram to the effect stated in the Question has been received from the Prime Minister of New South Wales on behalf of the Prime Ministers of the Australasian Colonies. I am not aware that such Bills are actually in preparation in these Colonies.