§ * MR. MACLEAN (Cardiff)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, having regard to the fact that the French Government in February last adopted a new import tariff which imposes increased duties on, among other articles, coffee, pepper, spices, and tea, which may tend to hamper Indian trade with France, if he can state whether it has been imposed by Franco in retaliation for the countervailing duties levied by India on French beetroot sugar.
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. BRODRICK, Surrey, Guildford)Her Majesty's Government have no reason to suppose that the new French import tariff on the articles referred to has been adopted in retaliation for the countervailing duties on sugar in India. I may add that the amount of sugar sent from France to India is inconsiderable.
§ * MR. MACLEANBut is it not in fact a policy of retaliation?
§ [No answer was given.]