MR:. REGINALD LUCAS (Portsmouth)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether 1077 he can give any information as to the present prospect of railway construction in the neighbourhood of Bagdad and the Persian Gulf; whether any schemes are known to be now under consideration; and, if so, by whom they are promoted; and whether His Majesty's Government are exercising any influence in the matter.
§ (Answered by Earl Percy.) His Majesty's Government are not aware that any steps have been taken for the construction of the Bagdad Railway beyond the Koniah-Eregli section, which was completed in October last, and paid for by a loan raised at Berlin; and they have no knowledge of any schemes for raising the funds necessary for the continuation of the line to the Persian Gulf.