BRITISH TRADE

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1933, Page 5

BRITISH TRADE

ITS DISCRIMINATORY EFFECT

(Per British Official Wileless.)

FRENCH SURTAX-

RUGBY, November 23. Mr Runciman' in the Commons, said: “Shortly after the suspension of the gold standard here, the French Government imposed a surtax of 15 per cent, ad valorem on a wide range of British goods on importation into France, in ispite of the fact that when, previously, the French currency depreciated to a far greater ex-

tent, no special duties were imposed in this country on French goods. This surtax does not apply to the•goods or all countries, and therefore it is discriminatory in its effect.

“Subsequently, the position was aggravated by the exemption from the turtax of goods from certain other countries, whose exchange and depreciated more than than sterling and by the imposition of a differential import turnover tax from which Belgian and Italian goods came to be exempted. The Government of the United Kingdom has taken the strongest objection to the discriminations against British goods, and has pressed-for their removal.

Tile Government, unfortunately, found it necessary a short time ago to intimate to the French Government,, that they could not countenance the continuation any longer of these discrimination s-, ( and unless the Erench Government could see its way to remove them at an early date, the Government would be compelled to impose on 1 a range of French goods special additional cjfuties, roughly equivalent in their incidence to the amount of the discrimination at’ present applied against British goods.” Mr Runciman said that it was intended to negotiate commercial agreements with Lithuania, Latvia and Esthonia.

The Federation of British Industries strongly supports the Government’s efforts to remove the French discrimination against imports from Britain.

Mr W. C. Runeiman’s speech has aroused interest in official French circles. It is learned unofficially that the French Government is opposed to the total suppression of the French surtax, but it may be willing to exempt a large number of important British products and to make concessions in other •ways: