Oral Answers to Questions — India. – in the House of Commons at on 4 March 1935.
Mr John Remer
, Macclesfield
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will suggest to the Brazilian trade delegation, now conferring with the British Government, that Brazil should impose an export tax upon Brazilian fruit and cotton consigned to United Kingdom ports in order to provide interest on defaulted bonds due to those British investors whose savings have suffered from the pre-war over-borrowing of the Brazilian provincial authorities?
Mr John Simon
, Spen Valley
The imposition of an export tax upon Brazilian fruit and cotton consigned to United Kingdom ports would not, as it appears to me, provide any additional sterling resources for the payment of Brazilian obligations, but would rather tend to reduce the amount of such exports to this country. I have not therefore felt able to adopt my hon. Friend's suggestion.
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
