HC Deb 13 July 1927 vol 208 cc2118-9
41. Mr. DALTON

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he can inform the House what seizures of arms and ammunition have been made in pursuance of the China Order in Council of 1924; what were the kind of arms seized, their value in money, the source from which they came, the ships in which they were carried, and the destination to which they were consigned?

The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Godfrey Locker-Lampson)

There is no China Order in Council of 1924; possibly the hon. Member is thinking of the China Order in Council of 1925. This Order, however, does not deal directly with the arms traffic; the legislation on this subject governing British subjects in China is contained in the Arms Regulations, 1919 (King's Regulations No. 25 of 1919). These Regulations give no power of seizure, but only of forfeiture after conviction of the offender. Any proceedings under the Arms Regulations, 1919, would be taken in His Majesty's Courts in China, and no recent statistics on the subject are available.

Commander BELLAIRS

May I ask what is the use of these Regulations when supplies of arms are going in from Soviet Russia?

Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSON

Those Regulations merely refer to traffic in arms by British subjects.

Back to
Forward to