Mr. HAMILTON BENNasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Clause 8 of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, providing that certain articles, the produce or manufacture of Japan, shall be free of duty on importation into the United Kingdom, would prevent the United Kingdom from imposing such duties for revenue purposes within eighteen months from the date of the treaty and thereafter, until the required six months' notice of the abrogation of the clause had expired; whether there was any recent precedent for such a restriction of the fiscal freedom of the United Kingdom; whether he consulted the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the desirability of including this clause in the Treaty; and at whose instance this stipulation was adopted?
Mr. McKINNON WOODAs regards the first part of the question, the United Kingdom would be unable, under Article 8 of the Treaty, to impose duties on the articles mentioned in Part II. of the Schedule until at least twelve months after 17th July, 1911, the date on which the Treaty comes into force. After that date it becomes a question of negotiation with the Japanese Government. If they gave their assent duties might be imposed forthwith, but in the event of their refusal at least another twelve months would have 860 to expire before duties could be imposed on the articles above mentioned. There is no recent precedent for such an arrangement, but great care has been taken to preserve fiscal freedom. As regards the rest of the question, I have nothing to add to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Christchurch on 11th April last.
§ Mr. AITKENasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a Dominion, Colony, or Possession of the United Kingdom adhering to the Anglo-Japanese Treaty, under Article 27 of that Treaty, must adhere to the tariff schedules in that Treaty; whether they must admit the goods enumerated in Part II. free of duty into such Dominion, Colony, or Possession; and whether there was reason to believe that any Dominion, Colony, or Possession desired to adhere to the Treaty on those terms?
Mr. McKINNON WOODAny Dominion, Colony, or Possession adhering to the Treaty under Article 27 would be entitled to the advantages of Part I of the Tariff Schedule thereto by virtue of the most-favoured-nation Article of the Treaty, but would not be under the necessity of admitting the articles specified in Part II. of that Schedule free of duty, since Article 8 is specifically confined to the United Kingdom. No notification has as yet been received of the intention of any Dominion, Colony, or Possession to adhere to the Treaty.
§ Mr. GOULDINGasked whether the Governments of His Majesty's Dominions were informed of the negotiations which were taking place for the conclusion of the Commercial Treaty between Great Britain and Japan; whether the responsible Government of any such Dominion was consulted as to the provisions of the Treaty or the schedules to that Treaty; and, if so, what was the character of such representations, and what suggestions were made by such Dominion?
Mr. McKINNON WOODThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. The communications which passed between His Majesty's Government and the Dominion Governments during the course of the negotiations were necessarily confidential, and I can make no statement with regard to them.
Mr. HAMILTON BENNasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the articles enumerated in Part II. of the 861 Schedule to the Anglo-Japanese Treaty are correctly described in the prefatory note as either materials for industry or specialities of Japanese manufacture; and whether these articles are in fact competitive goods which are used in substitution for other goods of British or foreign origin?
Mr. BUXTONNo doubt some of these articles may be used in substitution for other articles, but this does not affect the substantial accuracy of the published description.
§ Mr. AITKENasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies at whose instance was Article 27 introduced into the Anglo-Japanese Treaty; and whether any precedent existed for an Article in this form, especially in respect of the permission for a colony, having once adhered, to withdraw without the denunciation of the Treaty?
Mr. McKINNON WOODThe provisions of Article 27 are in a form which has been adopted in recent cases of commercial treaties. Precedents will be found in the Anglo-Roumanian Treaty of 1905, and the Anglo-Servian Treaty of 1907.