§ MR. ALDEN (Middlesex, Tottenham)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state the attitude taken up by the Government on the subject of commerce destruction; and whether our representatives at The Hague Conference are prepared to advocate the immunity of private property at sea.
§ SIR EDWARD GREYI cannot make any statement upon this subject. It will, no doubt, be discussed at The Hague Conference, and it would not be desirable to anticipate that discussion by declaration, on behalf of individual governments.
§ MR. ALDENasked the right hon. Gentleman whether our representatives at the Conference had any liberty of action or judgment with regard to this important question.
§ SIR EDWARD GREYI cannot, before the Conference is concluded, state what are the instructions given to the British representatives, and it would be very inconvenient, while the discussions are proceeding at the Conference, that there should be parallel discussions in the parliaments of the different countries represented.
§ MR. BOWLES (Lambeth, Norwood)asked whether, in the event of any conclusion being come to on this matter, the Government would afford the House an opportunity of considering it before it was finally adopted.
§ SIR EDWARD GREYI cannot make any promise with regard to decisions come to at The Hague Conference. The questions are not far enough advanced for me to say whether they can be brought before the House of Commons before they are finally adopted or not.