§ 1. Mr. DAYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any representations have been made to the British Government by the British Legation in China drawing his attention to the disregard of the arms embargo; and can he state whether any action has been taken?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Godfrey Locker-Lampson)I would refer the hon. Member to the replies given by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the hon. Member for Anglesey (Sir R. Thomas) on the 28th of March and to my hon. Friend the Member for South East Essex (Mr. Looker) on the 21st of May.
§ Mr. DAYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether it is a fact that over £1,000,000 worth of arms were imported by China last year?
§ Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONI must have notice of that question.
§ 3. Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been called to the recent resolution of the Assembly of the League of Nations calling upon the Powers to ratify the Convention prohibiting the private traffic in arms and munitions, especially in view of the recent discovery of machine - gun smuggling on the Hungarian frontier: and whether His Majesty's Government are prepared to ratify this Convention as a lead to the other arms-manufacturing Powers?
§ Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONIf the hon. and gallant Member is referring to the Arms Traffic Convention, I have nothing to add to the answer given to him on the 965 4th of April. If, on the other hand, he is referring to the proposed Convention regarding the private manufacture of arms, in regard to which a resolution was passed by the last Assembly, the question of signature, still less of ratification, does not arise, as the text of such a Convention has not yet been agreed upon.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYMay I ask whether, in view of recent episodes which have come before the League in connection with Hungarian smuggling, His Majesty's Government will not now ratify the Convention, and so give a lead to other countries?
§ Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONIf my hon. and gallant Friend is referring to the Arms Traffic Convention, I cannot add anything to what my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said the other day, namely, that we were waiting to ratify until the other arms-producing Powers were ready to ratify at the same time.