The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-11-16 00:00:00

THE FRENCH TREATY.

At the Lord Mayor's banquet in London, on Saturday
evening, Marl Granville, responding to the toast of "Her
Majesty's Ministers,' in the oourse of his speech said
. . .

There is one other subject to which it is impossible
for me, standing. as I do in the very centre of the world
of commerce, not to allude. I mean the treaty with
France,which I had thehonourof signing only three days
ago with a distinguished diplomatist, whom I am happy
to see here on this occasion. (Cheerio) I believe the
history of that treaty to be this. That great man,
Cobden, negotiated a treaty in 1860 which was ex-
ceptional in its character. It had one great practical
object, in which it entirely sucoeeded. It enabled the
Government of France not to introduce free trade, but
to abandon prohibitive duties, and to introduce those
relaxations of restrictions on commerce which enabled
France to set an example to other Continental nations
—of • relaxation which has been eminently suc-
cessful, and which has been followed in those coon-
tries which were formerly strong for the vested inte-
rests of protection, but which axe now as strong for
the vested interests of free trade. Last year the
Executive Government of France proposed to no to
make modifications in that Treaty; but we were unable
to do so. The proposals which were made to us were
those to which it was impossible for us to agree.
The French Government, exercising the& perfect
right, denounced that Treaty, and, acting according to
their right, we had no reason to complain. This time
proposals have been made in a different form and in
• different way. In the first place, it is not merely
a proposal of the Executive Government—it is a leo-
posal of the Government to whivh the sanction has
been given by the whole of France through their repre-
sentatives in the National Assembly. In the second
place, the proposals were of a totally different
kind. Instead of proposing additional duties of
some 20, some 30, or in some cases 80 per cent, ad-
ditional duty, they were limited to additional duties
varying between 2 and 3 per cent, and in no case ex-
ceeding 5 per cent. We felt ourselves bound by the
declarations we had previously made to the French
Government. We stated we should not embark in a
retrograde policy, but if you bring forward proposals
of • purely fiscal character or where protection only
intervenes to the slightest possible degree, we should
be desirous to meet you in the exceptional circum-
stances in which France is at this moment placed.
We therefore entered upon these negotiations; and
what in the result: I am sorry to say that I was in Parlia-
ment thirty.seven years ago, but it enabled me to get
some notions against my own party in favour of free trade.
I have never been an apostate from the doe' rifle, and I
should have been reluctant to affix my humble signature
to a Treaty which was contrary to those principles;
and I believe the principle and substance of the
Treaty between France and England are strictly in
accordance with free trade The permanent portions of
tin-: Treaty are simply them—that, without making
any concession to either country an advantage is
conferred on both by the permanent engagement to
keep one another hi the position of the most favoured
nations; and also we are both to receive from one
another's hands national treatment as regards ships
and cargoes, There are exceptions to the permanent
portions of the Treity, and they are simply those.
We make these concessions—and, as far as I am
aware, these are the only concessions we do make—
that for four months—the only portion of time during
which we can protect ourselves at all by our Treaty
right—we agree to the additional duties, small as they
are, which I have mentioned to you. And further,
during the time that these treaties exist with other
Powers, we allow that deviation flow the favoured
nation treatment to the extent of those limited duties
during the time when, if there was no treaty at all,
they might amount to differential duties. I will not
trouble you with the details of other questions which
we have taken the means of dealing with between the
French Government and ourselves on commercial
matters. I believe that when the Treaty Is examined
and considered by this great commercial city it will
meet with their approbation.