1. Mr. FOOT MITCHELLasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state the action which the British Minister in Peking has taken during his three years' tenure of office to press the Chinese Government in respect of the payment to British shareholders of the unpaid interest on the Marconi and Vickers Eight Per Cent. Loans?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS(Mr. Austen Chamberlain)His Majesty's Minister at Peking has made repeated representations to the Chinese Government on this subject. To the last of these the Chinese Government replied regretting that they had no funds to meet these obligations, Which is no doubt the case, as it is notorious that they have been for some tune past in a state of bankruptcy, chiefly owing to the appropriation of the national revenues by the provincial and military governors and factions. In these circumstances I fear that it would be useless to urge them to make good the default at the present juncture, though His 910 Majesty's Minister will of course press the matter whenever a favourable opportunity occurs.