§ 1. Mr. MANDERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the result of two conferences held in Paris recently on the situation of the agrarian countries of Europe; whether these were held under the auspices of the League of Nations and will report to it; what commitments, if any, have been accepted or recommended; and what countries in Europe were not represented or not invited?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Arthur Henderson)In reply to the first and third parts of the question, I have at present nothing to add to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the President of the Board of Trade, on the 3rd of March, to the hon. and gallant Member for South Paddington (Vice-Admiral Taylor). With regard to the second part, the meetings in question were held in pursuance of resolutions passed by the Commission of Inquiry for European Union, which was constituted by, and accordingly reports to, the League of Nations. The answer to the last part of the question is somewhat long, and I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
2000 Following is the answer:
The resolutions of the Commission contemplated that the first meeting, to find means of disposing of the existing grain surplus, should consist of "representatives of the European countries affected (grain exporting countries of Central and Eastern Europe and European importing countries)." This meeting was attended by delegates of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Irish Free State, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Rumania, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Yugoslavia. Finland and Spain were represented by observers.
The second meeting took the form of a Committee to consider the problem of future harvest surpluses. In accordance with the terms of the Commission of Enquiry's resolution, this Committee consisted of representatives of Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Yugoslavia.
I am not aware of invitations being issued for either meeting to any countries other than those I have named.