§ MR. LOUGH (Islington, W.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what were the reasons which influenced the Government in appealing under Article VII. of the Brussels Sugar Convention against the decisions arrived at by the Permanent Commission at the recent sittings to penalise eighteen foreign countries; whether, if this appeal had not been lodged, it would have been necessary to prohibit the importation of sugar from all these countries into the United Kingdom; and whether there is any authority under the Convention itself or the Sugar Convention Act to postpone the discussion upon this appeal and the decision with regard to it by the Commission for more than thirty days after 2nd December, the date on which the appeal was delivered to the Belgian Government.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. GERALD BALFOUR, Leeds, Central)His Majesty's Government appealed against certain decisions of the Permanent Commission because they believed that those decisions were either contrary to the evidence or based on an incorrect interpretation of the Convention. As to the second paragraph, I must decline to reply to a hypothetical Question. The postponement of discussion of the appeal was arranged by common accord among all the contracting Powers for their convenience. No specific authority for such a course in the text of the Convention or the Act appears necessary.