§ MR. MOONI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will ascertain and state to this House how much bond capital has up to this date been issued under section 11 of the Statutes of the Eastern Chinese Railway Company; whether any annual reports have been presented under section 16 of the same Statutes to the general meeting of shareholders in respect of the years ending 4–16 December, 1897 and 4–16 December, 1898, respectively, and whether he will supply translations of such reports, if they exist, to Members; what are the names of the chairman, vice-chairman, and the other seven members of the board of management of the company; and whether, under section 19, the chairman is appointed by the Chinese Government from among the nine members elected by the shareholders, or independently?
§ MR. BRODRICKThe information which the honourable Member desires to obtain is not in the possession of Her Majesty's Government, but if he attaches importance to it, Her Majesty's Ambassador at St. Petersburg will be asked whether any documents giving the particulars are available to the public.