JAPANESE TARIFF.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 22, 26 July 1910, Page 7

JAPANESE TARIFF.

«*> FRESH DETAILS. INCREASED DUTIES ON BRITISH GOODS. By Telegraph.— Press Association.-- Copyright. LONDON, 25th July. Fresh details of the Japanese tariff, which comes into operation in July, 1911, show xhat the average increabe of the duties on British goods will be 60 per cent., as compared with 50 per cent, in the case of all other countries. The Times says the tariff is inspired j simply by a desire to do what is best for Japan. Britain's exports to Japan consist mainly of things which the Japanese aie anxious to manufacture for themselves. Hence the tariff is very prejudicial to the manufacturers of Lancashire and Yorkshire. Altogether, it is estimated that the ta-rijl will exclude fro-n three-quarters to a million pounds' worth of British goods per annum. • Meanwhile Baron Komura, the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, has intimated that any negotiations with foreign countries for the purpose of mitigating the effects of the tarift must be based' on the principle of Japan's negotiating on equal terms, and -Iliac concessions can only be given to any country >n relmu ior concessions of equal value. The Daily Chronicle (Liberal Freetrade) referring to Baroli Komura's recent statement that, as Great Britain has what is called a Freetrade policy, there is no room for a tariff convention with her, considers that this was intended rather as a panegyric than otherwise. Our supreme advantage as manufacturers, says the Chronicle, is tjiat wo a*b abk to bu^ materials' freely, and can, therefore, produce more cheaply than our rivals. This is an inestimable boon, and one of the secrets of our supremacy. "Must we," the Chronicle asks "because we are not allowed to sell freely, refuse to buy freely? Our export trade is actually larger and more varied than ever before." JAPANESE PRESS VIEWS. The Japanese Press has strenuously denied that the new tariff discriminates in any way against England, and declared that, on the contrary, every consideration had been paid to English interests. It insists that the new schedules must be compared, not with the figures of the old one-sided conventional tariff, which was virtually forced on Japan, but with the statutory rates which otherwise would be operative from July, 1911. It has been pointed out that the new rates are much less- than the statutory ones, which would yield an increase of 30,000,000 yen (£3,000,000) in revenue, wheieas the corresponding result fiorn the new tariff wilt be only 13 millions. Finally, the newspapers have declared that the new duties are much below those levied by tho United States and in Continental Eur-