TS-43 
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GENEVA TRADE NEGOTIATIONS 
Foroign trad© in tobaooo is af footed by agrooments reached at Goneva 
lMt yoar and made offoctivo in part on January 1. Among tho provisions agrood 
upon wore concessions by tho United Statos to reduco duties on sovorol olaesos 
of loaf tobaooo and tobaooo products, Duties en cigar Wfflpfror loaf from Cuba 
and cigaretto loaf T/oro unohanged but cannot bo raisod during tho lifo of tho 
agroomont. The Unitod Stat.s also agrood to eliir.inato the duty proforonoo quota 
Of 22 million pounds that had boon in oiToot on Cuban cigar filler and sorap 
tobaooo. Smoke-ourod Latakia and 3imilur tobacco wore put in a new tariff clas3 
with a lower duty. 
The United Kingdom agrood not to inoroaao existing Empire proforonoo and 
also to rcduoe tho proforonoe* on tobaooo from Itopiro areas if duties cn loaf from 
non-Empire areas aro loworod. In offoct, this sots up a schedule in whioh dutio3 
\J on Empiro loaf would bo 31 conts lcs3 than non- Empire dutios v;hen the non- 
Sapire duties wore botroor. vO.10 and tho current lovol cf ftll«06j would be 2? cants 
loss when non-Enpire dutios wore botvoun ,7.10 and CO.lO; and vould bo 20 cents 
1ms when non-Empiro dutios woro 07.16 or lowor. Bofcro April 10, 10-17, tho non- 
Empiro duties were about £7.16 and tho Empiro countries had a margin of 31 cor.ts. 
The Unitod Kingdom agrood net to inoroaso, and furthor to reduce it3 
prbforenoo on loaf and tobaoco products imported by Eritish Ccloniea If tho 
Unitod Statos hold its consumption of synthotic rubbor at no more than 25 porcont 
of its total rubbor consumption. For tho Empire countries j such as Canada, New 
Zealand, and Australia, somo reduction from oxi3ting dutios and somo elimination 
of Empiro proforonoo was nogotiatod. 
For Nothor lands, Belgium, and Luxembourg, which now roprosent a 3inglo 
oustoms area, tho now tariff provides for elimination bf proforencos but no 
ohangos in duty ratos. 
In Franco tobacoo imports are controlled by a Government monopoly. France 
has no dutios on tobacco or its products. The Geneva agroomont provides that 
tho French tobaoco monopoly shall import a minimum of 3C million pounds of loaf 
and- about 3.1 million pounds of cigarot' os from counvr'ios outside the Frunch 
Union. Hoeovor, if total leaf requirements in any single yoar exeeod 132 million 
pounds, the additional imports shall bo dividod equally botvecr. French Union and 
outside countries. 
Czechoslovakia is committed by tho how agroomont to continue its nolicy of 
not discriminating among oountrios in tho purchase of loaf requirements. 
1/ All dutios per pound of unstemmod leaf -with 10 percent or more moisture and 
conversions basod on average October 1947 oxchango rate. 
