§ MR. HIGHAM (Yorkshire, W.R., Sowerby)I beg to ask the Under secretary of State for the Colonies what has been the amount of our trade with the Volta district during each of the past four half-years; what is the charge annually levied as canoe tax on the Volta, and whether it is levied on all using the river; what is the tax levied upon salt there; and whether he has received Reports that these taxes have resulted in British trade being diverted to the German traders in Togoland.
§ MR. CHURCHILLSeparate statistics of the trade with the Volta district are not available. An annual licence is payable for all canoes at the rate of 1s. for canoes not exceeding 25 feet in length, the rate for larger canoes being proportionately higher. The tax on salt referred to is really a ferry toll, varying from 1s. to 5s. a load according to the distance of the ferry from the mouth of the river. Reports received from the Governor do not support the view that the effect of the tolls is to divert British trade; he is of opinion that their abolition would have that effect.