THE EARL OF KIMBERLEYMy Lords, I wish to ask the noble Lord the Secretary of State for the Colonies a question of which I have given him private notice. It has been stated in the newspapers that an agreement has been come to between the West Indian Colonies and the United States as to certain articles of tariff, which will allow sugar, I believe, to be imported into the United States on more favourable terms, in return for a certain concession in the tariff for the West Indian Islands. I should be glad to know from the noble Lord whether that statement is true; whether the changes in the tariffs in the West Indian Islands involves any differential duties against this country, or merely alters the duties so as to lower them for all 871 importers; and, lastly, whether Papers will be laid on the Table in a short time?
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Lord KNUTSFORD)My Lords, in reply to the last part of the noble Earl's question, I would say that the Papers will be laid on the Table at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime I had better answer the other question of the noble Earl at a little more length, as the subject is one of very great importance. About the close of last year the Colonies were unofficially and informally notified that, unless they were prepared to make reductions of their duties, it would be necessary for the President of the United States, under Article 3 of the McKinley Tariff Act, to re-impose duties on sugar shipped from the Colonies into the United States. This was a question of vital importance to the West Indian Colonies, and they urgently pressed Her Majesty's Government to negotiate with the United States on their behalf. I need hardly say that Her Majesty's Government were very ready and, willing to do so. The result of the negotiations has been that the different Colonies (Grenada only excepted, because, I think, she does not import sugar into the United States) have agreed in some cases to abolish altogether, and in other cases to reduce, their import duties upon certain articles; and I may mention that those articles are, in the main, articles of food, or articles of general popular consumption in the islands. I will just mention some of them, because I know the noble Earl takes an interest in this question—bacon, bread, lard, corn-meal, flour, petroleum, &c. The reduction applies to all these articles whatever is the country of their origin, and therefore there is no question at all of differential duties in the matter. Her Majesty's Government have very readily assented to the reduction of these import duties upon articles of food and articles of general consumption, because it is a step in the direction of a policy which has been pressed upon these Colonies by successive Secretaries of State, certainly by the noble Earl himself in 1881 and 1882, and, I think, probably by the noble Earl (the Earl of Derby) also, due regard of course being had to securing that there shall be no great loss of revenue. I will only add 872 that the question of how to make good the loss of revenue, which will be caused by these reductions, is now receiving the consideration of all the Colonial Legislatures.