§ 2. Colonel YATEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it was on his own personal authority or under instructions from the Foreign Office, when China declared war upon Germany, that His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton informed the Germans in the British Concession on the island of Shameen that they could remain there; and whether those Germans are still living on the British Concession?
Mr. BALFOURShortly after the declaration of war by China on the Central powers, His Majesty's Consul-General at Canton suggested to His Majesty's Charge d' Affaires at Peking that all enemy subjects in the British Concession on Shameen should be placed under police supervision. Having received telegraphic sanction to this proposal, His Majesty's Consul-General issued a consular notification informing all German and Austro-Hungarian subjects resident in the British Concession on Shameen that thenceforward they were municipally under the supervision and control of the British Consulate-General, and that they would only be allowed to remain in the Concession subject to their observance of the conditions stated in the answer to the question put by the hon. Member on the 21st January.
As explained in that answer and in the answer to the hon. Member's subsequent question of the 15th April, the enemy subjects, twelve in number, who still remain in the British Concession on Shameen are those who have observed the conditions laid down in the Consular notification.
§ Colonel YATEWill the right hon. Gentleman now cancel these conditions to which he has referred and order these Germans to be expelled from the British Concession on Shameen, and has his attention been called to the articles in the Hong Kong Press showing the intense feeling there is in that colony on the subject?
Mr. BALFOURI do not think those questions arise out of the question on the Paper. Perhaps my hon. and gallant Friend will put them down.