§ 16. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the unpaid debts owing to British investors by various States forming the 2206 United States of America are for loans which were made for war purposes or for industrial enterprises; whether any representation has been made by Great Britain to the United States in connection with these debts; and whether it is the intention of the United States to place against the money due to them from this country the total amount of the British-held debt owing by various States of America, with interest to date?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThe debts referred to were contracted for industrial purposes. With regard to the second part of the question, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. and gallant Member for Burton (Colonel Gretton) on the 1st April. As regards the third part, the debts in question are not obligations of the United States of America but of individual States of the Union, and the Government of the United States of America is not responsible for them.
§ Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEMay I ask whether it is not the case that the American people are not fully acquainted with the position regarding these debts, and is it not desirable that they should be fully acquainted with the question of the repayment of the American debt by Great Britain?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI have no doubt the hon. Gentleman is as capable as I am of reaching the American public through the ordinary channels of the Press, and if he thinks it would be useful to do so, he will do so.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENWould not representation from the Foreign Secretary of Great Britain to the American people bring it before them, and let them see that it is a scandalous state of affairs that the American States should owe our people so much and not be paying it?