§ 4. Viscount SANDONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has received any representations from the British Consul-General as to the complaints and recommendations made by the British Chamber of Commerce at Tangier, and endorsed by the international chamber there, as to local administration abuses; and what attitude he is adopting in connection therewith?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINI have received from His Majesty's Consul-General at Tangier the text of an open letter addressed to him by the British Chamber of Commerce, the main purport of which is that the international zone is saddled with a number of superfluous 1097 officials appointed for the satisfaction of national ambitions. While I cannot wholly accept the chamber's contentions, I am not prepared to deny that the number of posts may be somewhat in excess of what is strictly necessary. I do not, however, think that this state of affairs, which is a defect common to most composite administrations, could have been avoided in the circumstances. In so far as the complaint may he directed to the additional posts created by the Protocol of last July revising the Convention of 1923, the charge imposed upon the zone will, I hope, be more than offset by the financial benefits accruing from the participation of Italy in the international regime. His Majesty's Government have at all times done their best to keep the administrative expenses as low as possible. They will continue to do so, but my Noble Friend will realise that it does not rest with them alone.
§ Viscount SANDONAre the Powers taking any action, or considering the complaints made by these bodies?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINI do not think the Powers can be expected to alter an arrangement come to as recently as last July.