FOREIGN ECONOMIC AND COMMERCIAL POLICY


private importing channels are utilized by the Ministry of Food,
applications for import licenses are directed to the Board of Trade
through the Ministry of Food.
  To summarize the United Kingdom's ,import control policy: (1)
imports from   dollar countries and other hard-currency areas are
strictly controlled, and limited to essential goods which are needed for
the domestic economy or are necessary raw materials for British in-
dustry and cannot be procured from the sterling area; (2) licenses for
:imports on Government account from the other OEEC countries are
granted in accordance with the terms of the bilateral trade agreements
concluded with -most of these countries. The majority of imports com-
ing through private trade channels are now under open general license;
(3) licenses for imports from the sterling area are granted chiefly in
accordance with the terms of the bulk purchase agreements concluded
with British Empire countries.



International Trade Files, Lot 57D284, Box 111
  MeOl  randuwm Submitted by the United States Delegation to the
        Fourth Session of the Contracting Parties to GATT

RESTRICTED    LIMITED C                [GENEVA,] 23 February 1950.
GATT/CP.4/15
    ARRANGEMENTS FOR REGULAR REPORTING IN ACCORDANCE WITH
                     PARAGRAPH 2 OF ANNEX J

   Paragraph 2 of Annex J provides:
   "Any contracting party takinm action under paragraph 1 of this
Annex shall keep the Contracting Parties regularly informed regard-
ing such action and shall provide such available relevant information
as the Contracting Parties may request."
   It should be noted that no similar provision applies to the contract-
 ing parties which have not elected to be bound by Annex J. This unique
 requirement is presumably due to the fact that the limitations upon
 discriminatory import restrictions imposed by Annex J are more
 specific than and quite different in ,form from those contained in
 paragraphs 1 (b) and (c) of Article XIV.
   The United States considers it desirable that in the course of re-
viewing the data which the Contracting Parties have submitted for
purposes of the report required by Article XIV 1 (g), the existence of
this special reporting requirement should be borne in mind. It may be
that the problems which the Contracting Parties will encounter in


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