6th August.
Tue Sugar Convention Bill passed its second reading in the House of Commons, as Reuter told us last week, by 224 votes to l44, or majority of 80, a very small majority considering the nominal strength of the Government, augmented as it is now by the Irish vote. The Bill having passed the critic: stage in|® its career, a short description of the Sugar Convention may be of interest.
'To encourage the farmers who grow the sugar beet and the mann-facturers who' extract sugar from it, most of the continental nations give bounties on the export of sugar. We may take the case of France to show how this has worked, To encourage the sugar industry the French politicians put heavy duties on all imported sugars: This led to the manufacture of more sugar than "France could consume at the high price which the monopolists, with jthe aid of the import duties, wera able to charge. The only thing to do, was to promote the export of sugar. England was close by, ready take any amount of sugar, but onl; price very much lower than the de tw pay. French this was the result being that every Frenchman had xes taene ble the Britisi: to buy ch eonsinaer by bounty amounts million pounds ngs France alone. It is true has been a serious blow te English sugar refinery on the other hand bled the British poor and their children to consume very large quantities of what acknowledged to bea most valuable arti of fool land it has given such stimulus to. the manufacture and export of confectionery of all kine i: and aerated waters, thi tries have absorbed far and given fir tore employment labour than the sugar re did.
Excellent was for Great Britain, th Powers began to get tired of prov ing us with sugar so cheaply that we could everywhere cut out their confectionery and preserves and biscuits and aerated waters, and a Conference was accordingly summoned to meet at Brussels to deliberate on the situation. The result is the Sugar Convention to which the House of Com-4) mons has just given a not very hearty approv:
It is opposed by the Liberal party, of cour ¢, because it is ation of the principle of free trade, and it is opposed by all the manufacturers who nse sugar in their industries. One firm alone stated that its adoption would mean a difference to them of £50,000 a year, while the cost to the Briti sumer is estimated to £8,000,000 a y ment appears to have agreed to the Convention for the sake of the West Indies, whose total imports into Gr Britain in IWOL were valued £1,838.479. The Convention was adopted on the 5th of March lust year of twelve attic it was agreed that all bounties, direct and indirect, un stggur and on all manufactured produc into which sugar enters in a_notable proportion, should he abolished.
he undertaking applied to all advantages resulting directly or indirectly for the different categories of producers from the fiscal legislation of the States who are parties to the Convention: including: direct bounties granted to export bounties granted to produc: ition: total or partial exemptions from. ta: the m output tages derived from esca: advantages derived from the igeration of the draw bad ulvantages deny ess of th Article IL provides for the perfinanent supervision by the yovernments concerned of all 5 tories and refineries, countries. Artiels TE provides that tle on f snigits howe the duty or jon imposed on home-grown Hangars, shall not exceed 1 franes per 1 100k other Jo does not apply do now produce' any sugar nor products of sugar mannfieture and refining, Article FY imposes eountervailing import duties on all sugars from countries that still grant boun-which duties are not to he less than the said hountic indirect. direct or to the Con-themsel ye: it altogether the ion of bounty-fed sugar.
ides that" sugars from any entry that is a party to hall he admitted countries that are cles I, not export sugar. points a permanent sisting of delegates Powers, wy sit at Brugge! the working of the Convention, and consider applications from other states pr admission to the Union, tide VITE provides that the parties to the Convention on behalf of themsel ni their colonies or possessions, (ant exception being made in the ease of the self-governing British colonies and the British East Indies), shall prevent bounty-fed sugars which have passed in trausitthrough a contracting country from enjoying the advant of the Convention on the market ta which they are being forwarded, Article EX provides for the admission of other States which may wish to join this Union, Article" X- stipu lates that the Convention shall come into force on the Ist of September years: after bit ix automatically ewed frou unless ay one of the aubers gives twelve mths' notice of withdrawal, By Article NI the es to the oversea provinces, eulogies, and foreign posses-ions of the contracting Powers, the British and Dutch colonies and p sessions being excepted, regards Articles V and YILT. By Article XIT the Convention had to be ratified by the Ist of February By the Final Protocol it was agreed
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.