§ MR. MOLTENO (Dumfriesshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, although the British Government possesses a number of shares approaching one-half of the existing shares of the Suez Canal Company, its voting power is only equal to that possessed by holders of 250 shares; and whether, in view of this fact and of the fact that the dues on British shipping amount to nearly three quarters of all the dues received by the Suez Canal Company, he can see his way to secure a representation for the British 330 Government more in accord with its actual holding of shares, and also more in accord with the proportion of dues paid by British shipping.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir EDWARD GEEY, Northumberland, Berwick)The Answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. Any alteration in the existing system of voting would involve an amendment of the Statutes of the company, which cannot be effected without the consent of two-thirds of the shareholders, and I cannot say that an alteration would be feasible.