TRADE TREATIES

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 March 1937, Page 5

TRADE TREATIES

BRITAIN AND CANADA

(BY CABLE —PBESP ABSN. —CO?YBIGHT,]

NEW YORK, February 27. The Washington correspondent of “The Times” says that officials have expressed the informal opinion that the ’ trade agreement between Great Britain and Canada would facilitate in some respects the efforts to find a basis for the negotiation of a reciprocal trade agreement betweeh the United States and the United Kingdom. Others believe that the Canadian agreement will make the achievement of an American agreement a more difficult problem. What is done depends not only on Great Britain s arrangement with Canada, but also on the result of the conversations which Great Britain is understood to be conducting with the other Dominions. It is felt that the efforts for an American agreement are likely to depend on how eager the United Kingdom is for an agreement with the United States, since an opportunity

must be found within the Empire preferential system for concessions to America in return for any America would give.

AGREEMENT WITH CUBA [BRITISH OFFICIAL WI3ELESS.] RUGBY, February 26. The commercial agreement with Cuba was signed at Havana on February 18 and enters into force provisionally as from that date, it provides that United Kingdom goods shall he treated in Cuba not less favourably than those of any country apart from the special treatment accorded to United States goods, and that Cuban goods shall enjoy “most-favoured-nation” treatment in the United Kingdom. The Cuban duties on certain United Kingdom linen and woollen piece goods have been reduced, and the Cuban Government undertakes to consider sympathetically requests for further tariff readjustments.

The agreement also provides that British insurance enterprises shall not be subjected to legislation imposing more onerous conditions than those already applying to the conduct of their Cuban business. The Cuban Government, recognises the necessity of alleviating the position of United Railways of Havana, a British undertaking, and promises sympathetic consideration of requests put forward to that end.

The agreement runs until December 1937. There has also been an exchange of notes precluding any action which would prejudice the present position of British shipping in Cuba.