§ 27. Major M. WOODasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is aware that the Customs Department are demanding payment of duty, under the German Reparation (Recovery) Act, on packages of no commercial value arriving in this country from Germany; that recently a package of free samples of photographic plates seized by the Customs was only released by the importers naming a fictitious value of the goods and paying the duty thereon; that as the importers are not paying the German firm for these goods they are unable to recover the amount demanded by the Customs; and, if so, whether he will see that the Act which was to obtain money from Germany and not from British firms is not violated in future, and order the refund of the money paid in such cases?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe particular instance to which the hon. and gallant Member refers has not been brought to my notice, but I may point out that the German Reparation (Recovery) Act applies generally to all goods, first consigned from Germany to the United Kingdom, and that samples can only be exempted if they comply with the terms of the German Reparation (Recovery) No. 6 Order of 1922, made by the Board of Trade on the recommendation of the Statutory Committee under Section 5 (1) of the Act. That Order confines the exemption to bonâ fide trade samples or patterns of no commercial value for which no payment is made and which are imported in quantities of not more than a single article of any one variety.