No. 515.
Mr. Bell
to Mr. Bayard.
The Hague, December 16, 1886. (Received December 28.)
Sir: I have the honor to report that the minister for the colonies has presented to the second chamber of the States General a project of law tending to so modify the provisions of existing laws as to suppress for a period of two years from and after June 1, 1887, the export duty On sugar exported from Java.
The minister of the colonies, in explaining the motives for the presentation of the project, stated that in order to meet the emergencies arising from the low price of sugar the sugar industry was compelled to put into execution every possible means to reduce the expense of production.
Under the circumstances, the minister maintained that the legislature should show a disposition to favor those efforts by temporarily suppressing, all events during the trying epoch, the burden which the sugar [Page 887] industry bears in favor of the treasury in the form of an export duty.
The date of suspension is said to have been fixed for June 1, 1887, in order that the industry may have the benefit of the suspension for the harvest of the year 1887.
I have, etc.,