§ 18. Mr. MALCOLMasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any official information showing that Herr Hirter holds in Switzerland simultaneously the post of vice-president of the German coal monopoly at Bâle, and that of president of the Import Trust recently organised by arrangement with the Allied Powers; and, if so, whether, in view of the conflicting duties thus imposed upon this gentleman, His Majesty's Government can properly intervene to safeguard the raw material exported under certain conditions from this country to Switzerland?
§ Lord R. CECILI understand it is the case that Herr Hirter is President of the Societe Suisse de Surveillance Econo-mique, and is also a member of the Swiss syndicate recently formed for the importation of coal from Germany. But I am afraid that I cannot usefully make any further statement on the subject at present.