§ 72. Mr. WHITEasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he is aware that shipments of Canadian-grown wheat consigned to this country from Canada have not been admitted by the Commissioners of Customs and Excise to the preference accorded by the Ottawa Agreements Act; and if he will now cause specimen documents to be issued which will satisfy the commissioners and enable these shipments to be made?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINCertain shipments of Canadian wheat which arrived 1177 in this country from the United States of America have failed to qualify for preference under the Ottawa Agreements Act because satisfactory evidence that the wheat was in fact consigned to the United Kingdom from Canada was not produced, but I am not aware of any case in which preference has been refused on Canadian wheat shown to the satisfaction of the commissioners to have been definitely consigned to the United Kingdom from Canada. As regards the second part of the question, I am sending the hon. Member a copy of an official leaflet on the subject of Imperial Preference, which explains the types of documentary evidence ordinarily accepted in substantiation of claims to preference, but I would remind him that as stated in the Press statement which I sent him on the 7th February the Customs will always be ready to consider carefully any evidence which may be produced to them with the object of showing that the statutory conditions governing the grant of preference have been complied with.
§ Mr. BROCKLEBANKIs it not a fact that surprise was expressed at Winnipeg at the decision?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI cannot say whether surprise was expressed or not. All I can say is that there has been no change of policy in the matter.