§ 10. Mr. KILEYasked the President of the Board of Trade why expensive books imported from Germany are exempted by order of his Department from the collection of the Reparation Recovery Duty of 26 per cent., whilst articles of trifling value, costing only a few shillings, on which expenses representing double this amount are incurred in clearance, are no* so exempted; is he aware that neither France, Belgium, nor Italy obtain the Reparation Duty on these petty amounts but receive quarterly from the German Government the lump sum represented by the total value of such exports; and what reason exists for our nor, receiving the reparation in the same way, instead of the costly and dilatory method which now prevails?
§ Mr. BALDWINThe recent Order to which the hon. Member no doubt alludes did not exempt German books from the levy, but extended only to periodical publications of German learned societies and other scientific or philosophical periodical publications. The exemption was allowed because the booksellers, following the usual practice, required full payments of subscriptions in advance, whereas the levy was only collected and repayment of it could therefore only be claimed from the German Government periodically, as the papers arrived. It was considered inadvisable to allow any obstacle to stand in the way of the regular receipt from Germany of information of scientific or philosophic importance. The second part of the question is not, I am informed, a correct statement of the position, and the third part of the question does not therefore arise.