MR. GIBSON BOWLESI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has the attention of His Majesty's Government been given to the statement in Mr. Vice-Consul Gosling's Report on the Republic of Santo Domingo, Hayti, that a great blow to the sugar industry was the closing of British ports to Dominican sugars in June, 1904; that this places 707 Dominican sugars at the mercy of the American Sugar Trust, and closed a market to them where the price was higher than the American market; and has their attention been given to the further statement by Mr. Gosling that the introduction of Dominican sugars into the United Kingdom is now permitted; can he state when the permission here alluded to was given, on what ground the decision to prohibit the importation into the United Kingdom of Dominican sugars was reversed; whether it was in consequence of any decision of the Brussels Permanent Commission, which His Majesty's Government were bound to enforce; or whether the decision was taken independently of that Commission.
§ THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. BONAR LAW,) Glasgow, BlackfriarsI am aware of the statement referred to. The circumstances in which the Older in Council repealing the prohibition of Dominican sugar was issued were fully stated in answer to a Question by the hon. Member for West Islington on February 16th.†
§ MR. BONAR LAWI have not got it here.