§ 1. Colonel DAYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total amount of the compensation claims that have been filed with the responsible authorities relating to the recent looting and destruction of British property by Nationalist troops in Nanking?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir Austen Chamberlain)No claims have as yet been filed with the responsible Chinese authorities.
Up to the present there have been filed at the British Consulate-General at Shanghai claims totalling $491,038; Taels 19,631; and £7,073, or about £52,000 in all. These claims are all from private individuals; none have as yet been notified by the British firms, and it is, therefore, impossible to estimate the final total.
§ Colonel DAYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether those claims also included the earlier occurrences at Hankow?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINNo. The question on the Paper referred to Nanking, and I have, therefore, given the hon. Member the information for which he asked. If he wants to know about the claims at Hankow, I must have notice of the question.
§ Colonel DAYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether these claims will be lodged with the Chinese authorities?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINNo, I cannot say.