§ 9. Mr.TAYLORasked the President of the Board of Trade whether the border States, namely, Finland, Esthonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, which constituted part of the old Russian empire, have yet effected a settlement with British creditors for any proportion of the Tsarist, Government debt or debts contracted by municipal authorities situated within their frontiers; and whether the benefits of the Overseas Trade and Trade Facilities Acts are available for these States?
Mr. GUINNESS:No definite arrangements have been made whereby a proportion of the Russian Imperial Government Debt should be assumed by any of the States referred to. As regards municipal loans, I understand that no settlement has yet been effected with British holders of bonds of the loans issued by Riga and Vilna. The benefits of the Overseas Trade and Trade Facilities Acts are available for the States referred to, but in considering applications for the guarantee of loans raised by or for foreign Governments, the punctuality with which the obligations of these Governments and of the municipalities within their frontiers have been discharged is one of the factors taken into consideration by the Committee appointed under the Trade Facilities Acts