§ Mr. AMMONasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the French Customs authorities have made an additional tax on imported horse meat or whether an octroi duty only has been imposed; if it is a Customs duty, can he state the amount of the increase and the total duty now imposed; if it is only an octroi duty, can he state what this comes to in the case of the city of Paris, and by how much it has recently been increased; whether this tax or octroi has had an adverse repercussion on the British export trade in horseflesh; and, if so, whether he has any intention of taking steps to safeguard the dead meat export trade?
§ Mr. HACKINGIncreases in the French Customs duties on a number of agrarian products took place in November and again in March last, as a result of which the duty on horse meat, which is identical with that on beef and veal, has been raised from 59½ francs to 175 francs per 100 kilogrammes, which is almost exactly the equivalent in sterling of the duty of 35 francs in force before the War I have received a complaint of its adverse effect on the British trade concerned, but I do not think that His Majesty's Government could usefully take any steps in regard to this special matter, apart from the general representations in regard to the recent French tariff increases which have already been addressed to the French Government.