44. Major LLOYD GEORGEasked the President of the Board of Trade what provisions have been put in force by Empire States to place additional duties on their imports of British goods in order to offset the advantage to British exporters arising from our departure from the Gold Standard?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANSpecial duties have been imposed in the Dominion of Canada and the Union of South Africa on goods of United Kingdom manufacture, based on the difference between the exchange value of the pound sterling and fixed rates of 4 dollars 86 cents, which was subsequently reduced to 4 dollars 40 cents in the one case and 18 shillings in the other. These duties are applied to goods of a class or kind made in Canada and to certain scheduled goods in the Union. Full details on the subject have been published in the Board of Trade Journal from time to time, and I am sending extracts from that journal to my hon. and gallant Friend.
Major LLOYD GEORGEDoes the right hon. Gentleman consider these duties to be an example of what is described nowadays as discrimination against British trade?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am not prepared to enter into any definition of them. No doubt they will be the subject of discussion at the Ottawa Conference.