§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLOR (Liverpool, East Toxteth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the proposal made by the Russian delegate to the Permanent Commission of the Sugar Convention, namely, that Russia should be allowed to augment her export to Europe of sugar free from excise tax whenever the price of sugar should rise to a very high figure, has been accepted by all or any of the contracting States; and whether, in view of the present high price of sugar in this country, he will make representations to the other Powers as early as possible with a view to securing the temporary relaxation of the provisions of the Protocol which prevent Russia from exporting to this country the large quantities of sugar which she has available for export.
§ SIR EDWARD GREYSo far as I am aware, Russia has not yet put forward any definite proposal since the meeting of the Permanent Commission of the Sugar Convention for augmenting her export during a period of high prices. The Protocol to which the hon. Member refers has not yet come into force and does not do so until the 1st September next. His Majesty's Government would of course be 924 favourable to any modification of that particular provision of the Protocol which restricts the export of Russian sugar, but as we are not responsible either for the insertion of this provision or for its execution we can hardly initiate steps to alter it. I may point out that without any alteration of the Protocol, Russia may export 300,000 tons of sugar on September 1st next, and her average annual export to this country before there was a Convention did not exceed 40,000 tons. His Majesty's Government being freed from all restrictions upon importing sugar themselves, considered that the main object which they had in view was attained; and the particular arrrangement made between Russia and the other sugar producing countries was not dependent upon their consent and could have been made without it.
§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLORMay I ask my right hon. friend, if it is open to Germany to take the initiative in restricting exports of Russian sugar to this country, why does he maintain that it is not open to this country now to take the initiative in modifying the Protocol?
§ SIR EDWARD GREYBecause the arrangement was made between Russia and other sugar producing countries, and we are not responsible for it. We can, of course, use our influence to remodel arrangements for which we are responsible, but we have not the same means of bringing pressure to bear with regard to arrangements for which we are not responsible and in which we do not take part.
§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLORSeeing that Germany in common with ourselves signed the Act which was subsequently modified by the Protocol, to which again the signature of each country was appended, why is it not open to us to take initiative?
§ SIR EDWARD GREYIn the Sugar Convention, which we signed, we made a reservation with regard to this.
§ MR. AUSTIN TAYLORI do not see any such reservation in the Protocol.