§ Mr. WATTasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the import duties in Germany and France may be altered annually or are the traders and manufacturers in these countries kept from suspense as to alterations of tariffs dealing with their trades for longer periods than one year?
§ The PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY to the BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. H. J. Tennant)There is nothing to prevent the legislatures of Germany or France from altering the tariffs of import duties in force in those countries as often as they may see fit, so far as these duties are not fixed by commercial treaties with other countries, but in practice it is usual for these tariffs to remain substantially unaltered for several years. So far as the tariff rates are established by commercial treaties with other countries, the power of the legislatures to alter those rates is of course restricted while the treaties remain in force.