‘Confidential. Persia’ [‎528v] (106/112)

103
a
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was, as your lordships will recollect, lately re
vised ; and I think the noble lord is justified in
saying that that revision was not to the interest
of British commerce. But I am inclined to think
that the apprehensions which were felt on this
point were somewhat exaggerated. I was relieved
when X read the other day an account of the
annual meeting of the Associated Chambers of
Commerce, at which a member of Parliament, Mr.
Emmott, made the following statement‘ The
new tariff in regard to cotton goods had been
carefully examined by Manchester merchants, who
did not think it injured them. It was not pre
ferential as regards Russia, and they did not
believe the tariff would turn out to be any higher
than previously. * That may be a sanguine
estimate; but it shows, at any rate, that some of
the alarm felt was greater than the circumstances
justified. The particular commodity which is
most seriously affected by the new tariff is tea,
and your lordships probably know that there is a
large trade in tea between India and Persia. But
here, again, I find that the Persian tea duties,
when examined, are not very much larger than
those which are imposed on tea in this country ;
and, therefore, I am not sure that we can protest
very loudly on that point. Where, I think, the
noble lord has most right to complain upon this
question is as to this point. As matters now
stand, all we can demand at the hands of the Per
sian Government is most-favoured-nation treat
ment ; and that, of course, we have got under the
revised tariff. But we all know it is not very
difficult so to adjust a tariff that, while it is in ap
pearance equal in its operation with regard to all
the powers concerned, it really in effect discri
minates against some of them. And, therefore,
I for one am not satisfied that this country should
have to be content merely with most-favoured
nation treatment at the hands of Persia. That
matter is the subject of negotiation at this mo
ment ; and I have every hope that we shall be
able to bring about an arrangement under which,
instead of accepting tariff arrangements made
between Persia and other powers without refer
ence to the effect of those arrangements upon
us, we should be in a position to have arrange
ments of our own which will give us the right
of insisting that whenever Persia again attempts
to touch her tariff, British interests shall be
specially considered.^
The arrangements of our own thus al- Secret F., January 1904, No>. 6-19, and Secret
luded. to took the form of a Commercial E '» Au g u8t la03 » No8< 280-321.
Convention with Persia, on lines similar
to the Eusso-Persian Convention which
protects our trade against any further in
crease of duties without our consent. It
was signed on February 9th, 1903, four
days before the Russo-Persian tariff came
into force, having been hurriedly put
through by Sir A. Hardinge when in
December 1902 he learnt that the Com
mercial Convention with Russia was con
cluded.