HC Deb 30 June 1921 vol 143 c2481

Order for Third Reading read.

Sir P. LLOYD-GREAME

I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read the Third time."

I would appeal to the House to let us have the Third Reading of this Bill now. It is a Bill on which the House was unanimous on Second Heading. It has passed through Committee, with only two drafting Amendments. Seeing that it has so far passed with the consent of the whole House, I hope it will receive the Third Reading without opposition.

Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY

I am always ready to accede to requests by the Government when possible, but on this occasion there are two matters of great importance which I wish to raise. The first is with regard to India. Since the Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department made his statement on the Second Reading it has become evident that he rather put his foot in it with regard to the Indian commercial community. Judging by the correspondence in the Press, the Indian Government have taken the matter up. He said that the Government proposed to extend the Bill to Poland, Lithuania, Roumania, Georgia, Armenia, and so on, but it was not intended to extend the Bill to British India. Considering that to-day we have an Imperial Conference sitting, with India represented by a most distinguished statesman, and asked to bear her fair share of the burden of Empire, I think that decision of the Government was rash, to put it on the lowest ground—

It being Eleven of the Clock, the Debate stood adjourned.

Debate to be resumed upon Monday next.