§ 19. Mr. ALBERYasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has now received any reply to the representations made by His Majesty's Ambassador at Moscow concerning the recent arbitration proceedings with the Lena Company?
§ 23. Sir WILLIAM DAVISONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can now inform the House of the result of the representations made by His Majesty's Ambassador at Moscow to the Russian Soviet Government with regard to their refusal to meet the arbitral award of the 2nd September, amounting to over £12,000,000, in favour of the British company known as Lena Goldfields, Limited?
28. Lieut.-Colonel Sir FREDERICK HALLasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what reply has been received from the Soviet Government to the representations made by his instructions with regard to the carrying out of the decision given in the arbitration proceedings with respect to the Lena Goldfields Company?
§ 29. Mr. MARJORIBANKSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Soviet Government have officially denied liability in respect of the claim of Lena Goldfields, Limited, against them?
Mr. A. HENDERSONHis Majesty's Ambassador made his representations on the 2nd November, immediately on his return to Moscow, and no reply has yet been received.
§ Mr. ALBERYDoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that this matter has a big bearing on trade relations with Russia, and should be pressed to an early conclusion; and will he say when I can put a question down again?
Mr. HENDERSONI have no objection to the hon. Member putting a question down, and we will do what we can to get a reply, but I am afraid that we cannot do more than we are doing.
§ Sir W. DAVISONDoes the right hon. Gentleman realise that every day's delay in settling this matter causes a loss of £1,700 to British shareholders, and does he not see the extreme urgency of getting the matter settled at an early date?
Mr. HENDERSONYes, but I do not know what hon. Members desire me to do in order to force answers to some of the positions which we have to take up.
Sir F. HALLAre the Government going to sit down and allow the Soviet Government practically to repudiate their liability and still permit them to have free access to our markets?
Mr. HENDERSONI have tried to indicate that we have presented a case to them through our Ambassador. If that is what the hon. and gallant Member calls "sitting still," I am afraid I cannot help him any further.
§ Mr. MARJORIBANKSHas any economic pressure been brought to bear on the Soviet Government