RETALIATORY THREAT

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 108, 31 January 1934, Page 9

RETALIATORY THREAT

British Action on French Quotas DISCRIMINATION OPPOSED (British Official Wireless.) (Received January 30, 5.5 p.m.). Rugby, January 29. In the House of Commons a statement was made regarding the French quota restrictions. The President of the Board of Trade, Mr. W. Runciman, announced that the French Government had been informed that the British Government could not accept discrimination in favour of the United States and Belgian goods. It had also been tqjd that having regard to the grave "interference with the United Kingdom trade resulting from its new quota policy and the discriminations referred to, the British Government would have very reluctantly to take immediate retaliatory action by imposing additional duties on a range of French products unless within ten days of the intimation the quotas in force before January 1 were restored to their original level. and j the new quotas imposed as from January 1 were similarly increased. Full power to impose such duties existed under the Import Duties Act. The attention of the French Government had also been drawn to the grave impediment to the United Kingdom trade resulting from the methods adopted for the fixing and administration of the quotas, and had informed the French Government that the British Government proposed to return to that matter at a later stage when satisfaction in regard to the quantum of quotas had been obtained. A Paris cable states that. British official circles refuse to comment on a French newspaper’s declaration that the British Note demands a full restoration of the quotas, otherwise Britain will institute reprisals and denounce the trade treaty.