§ MR. WEDGWOOD (Newcastle-under-Lyme)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the important posts in the Persian customs service are held at present by Belgian subjects, and in particular are the chief Customs officers at Bandar Abbas and at other Gulf ports Belgians; and if so, will His Majesty's Government use their influence with the Persian Government to induce them to give Englishmen the preference in any such appointments or reappointments within the British sphere of influence in Persia.
§ THE FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. RUNCIMAN,for Sir EDWARD GREY) Dewsbury;The employees of the Persian Customs Service are Belgian subjects. His Majesty's Government do not propose to make any suggestion to the Persian Government calculated to disturb existing arrangements unnecessarily.
§ MR. WEDGWOODI beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any official information showing that the Persian Government contemplate replacing the Belgians now in the Persian Customs Service by Germans; and whether His Majesty's Government are prepared to sanction the institution of officials of German nationality in the ports or cities within the British sphere of influence in Persia.
§ MR. RUNCIMANNo such information has been received. My right hon. friend is informed that the German Government do not desire any change in the nationality of the employees.