THE JAPANESE TARIFF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13306, 12 October 1906, Page 5

THE JAPANESE TARIFF.

THE PREFERENCE TO QUEENSLANDA TREATY THAT LAPSED. V By Telegraph—Press Association.— ' V Melbourne, October 11. , The Premier of Queensland, Mr. Kid« stone, who is attending > the, Interstate Conference, explains in re. ' gard to Japan's tariff preference t« Queensland that about 1898, when the, Australian States were separate, a treaty was completed . ' between Great Britain and Japan, and Queensland accepted the treaty, but no other Australian State did so. The ; treaty, he says, has practically remained in existence up to the present time. Queensland has not for some years had any negotiations on the subject, and the present development has come as a surprise to him. The. only explanation he could offer was that Mr. Jones, the Queensland Commissioner in the East, had possibly unearthed ■/■■'■ the specially advantageous position in which Queensland stood, and secured an advan- - tage over all the other States. The only • other explanation was possibly "that -.the Japanese Legislature, in altering the tariff, ; had provided, for the most favoured nation treatment to Great Britain, and the other ~ parties to the original treaty may have overlooked the fact that Queensland is no longer able to carry out her obligations un« . der the treaty in. regard to Asiatic immi({ration, that matter having now passed ; tc the control of the Commonwealth. It was '■ a curious position. •'•">; Under the treaty, vwhich was supposed to be, reciprocal, '•Queensland was obtaining special trade advantages over other; ports of Australia, while not in a position to give reciprocal advantages to Japan. . , : ;; . —