§ 9. Mr. VIANTasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement as to the progress so far achieved by the Commission on Extraterritoriality now sitting at Peking?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINSince it assembled in Peking last January, the Commission has been engaged in studying China's legal codes, actual and prospective, in establishing the scope of its inquiry and in examining the work of the Courts and conditions of the prisons in the capital. The Commission has now nearly completed this part of its task, but owing to the disturbed conditions in China and the interruption of railway communications with the provinces it has as yet been unable to make any progress with the examination of the application of the existing legislative system in the provinces. It is, however, still hoped that the Commission may be enabled to carry out at least some portion of this part of their programme.