§ 56. Commander BELLAIRSasked the Prime Minister whether his attention has been drawn to the registration of the United Baltic Company with a private capital of £2,000,000 on 20th May to carry on a multiplicity of undertakings by land and sea; whether he is aware that the British directors are the Right Hon. Leverton Harris and two representatives of Andrew Weir and Company, and the remaining directors are Hans Niels Anderson, of the East Asiatic Company, and Emil Gluckstadt, who both direct the Landmandsbank of Denmark; whether he is aware that before and during the War the Landmandsbank was virtually a branch of the Deutsche Bank of Berlin; that it was a subject of complaint during the War that the East Asiatic Company assisted our enemies and that Hans Niels Anderson was given too many privileges; whether full inquiry has now been made as to whether it is desirable to give British registration to the company and as to whether Hans Niels Anderson and Emil Gluckstadt will promote British interests?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI am advised that the Landmandsbank is not and never has been, either before or during the War, a branch of the Deutsche Bank; on the contrary, it has on several occasions during the War rendered services to His Majesty's Government. In particular, it made His Majesty's Government, through the British Bank of Northern Commerce, two loans of 30,000,000 kroner each, as well as a dollar loan in New York of 36,000,000 dollars, and renewed them from time to time at the request of His Majesty's Government. Mr. Gluckstadt, referred to in the question, was at that time, and still is, managing director of the Landmandsbank. With regard to the East Asiatic Company, charges were made some time ago in a certain newspaper against this company, but were later unreservedly withdrawn as being unfounded. With regard to Mr. Anderson, this gentleman is managing director of the East Asiatic Company, and has during the War rendered great services to His Majesty's Government. Before issuing his certificate of incorporation the Registrar of Companies was satisfied that no subscriber of the Memorandum of Association or any of the proposed directors were enemy subjects, and therefore there were no grounds on which he could refuse to register the company.
§ Commander BELLAIRSIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the bank in question were the agents of the Deutsche Bank, and does he derive his information from those best qualified to know, whose business it was to know, like the naval and military attaches at Copenhagen during the War?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI cannot say whether the advice was from those best qualified to give it, but it was the best advice I could get.