§ 79. Sir E. CORNWALLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether he is able to give an assurance that the Government will admit the right of British creditors of enemies to receive payment of their debts out of the property and money of the enemies in this country in priority to any claim by the Government to pre serve such property and money until the conclusion of peace, and will give instructions to that effect to the Public Trustee and his legal advisers?
Mr. HARCOURTProvision is made by Sections 4 and 5 of the Trading With the Enemy Amendment Act, 1914, to enable the Court to direct payment to a creditor of an enemy out of any property of that enemy in the United Kingdom, and it is desirable that the question should be left to the discretion of the Court in the particular circumstances of each case.
§ 80. Sir E. CORNWALLalso asked whether he is aware that the facilities at the Courts and the legal assistance of the Public Trustee which has never been in creased are insufficient to cope with the business relating to enemy property and debts, and that great hardship is caused to British creditors of enemies by the delay, and this is likely to increase unless extra judicial and official assistance is given at the Courts and to the Public Trustee in order to give effect to the intentions of the Legislature of paying promptly and without vexatious legal requirements to British creditors the debts due to them by an enemy who has property and money in this country?
Mr. HARCOURTThe Public Trustee informs me that he has not been delayed in paying the claims of British creditors out of the property of enemy debtors which has been vested in him through lack of facilities at the Courts or insufficiency of legal assistance, but any delay that has arisen from the nature of the property vested in him and the necessity for detailed investigation into claims made in the absence of the debtor.