§ 14. Mr. ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any information about the proposal for the establishment of an independent Provincial Government for Manchuria; and will he state the attitude of the British Government towards it?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Eden)I am unable to add anything at present to the reply given on the 18th of November to the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Mr. Cocks). In the circumstances, the second part of the question does not at present arise.
§ Mr. LANSBURY(by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement on the Manchurian question and whether, as British representative to the League of Nations, he is considering proposing to the council that there should be an agreement on the part of the members of the League to refrain from supplying munitions to the parties in the present dispute?
§ Mr. EDENMy right hon. Friend has asked me to express his regret that he cannot be present to answer this question, but, as the right hon. Gentleman is no doubt aware, he left for Paris on Saturday in order to take part in the further discussions of the Council of the League. My information is that, since the occupation of Tsitsihar by Japanese forces on the 19th November, no further fighting has taken place between the Japanese and Chinese troops in Manchuria. In the absence of my right hon. Friend, I can only add that the council have been in session at Paris for more than a week, and are using their best endeavours to find a basis for a solution of this problem. As regards the last part of the question, I do not think that this suggestion would assist the negotiations with the two parties which the council of the League of Nations now has in hand.
§ Mr. LANSBURYWill the hon. Gentleman convey to his right hon. chief that there is a very strong feeling in the country that it would be rather grotesque that members of the Council of the League of Nations who are pledged against war should assist in carrying on war between two members of the League by supplying munitions of war to either?