§ 21. Mr. LEWISasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will give the House the latest information he has as to the political situation in Shanghai?
§ 23. Mr. WARDLAW-MILNEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give the House the latest information he has in connection with China?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Eden)According to my information, the negotiations which have been going on for some time at Shanghai between the Japanese and Chinese representatives have made some progress though there are still certain points on which agreement remains to be reached. The Conference between the two sides is still proceeding with the assistance of the representatives of the friendly Powers.
§ Mr. MORGAN JONESCan the hon. Gentleman inform the House whether the territory now occupied by the Japanese forces is in excess of the area taken by the International Settlement before the recent hostilities broke out?
§ Mr. HOLFORD KNIGHTHas my hon. Friend's attention been drawn to the account in the "Manchester Guardian" by the Dean of Canterbury of the position at Shanghai and of the deplorable bombing of the refugee camp?
§ Mr. KNIGHTI will send it to my hon. Friend.
§ 24. Mr. MORGAN JONESasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any statement to make regarding the telegram submitted by the Chinese delegate to the League of Nations from the Nanking Government alleging that the Japanese were preparing to seize the Customs revenue in Manchuria and hand it over to the new Republican Government; that the Japanese were insisting that all appointments to the Customs should be submitted to the new Government; that whilst there was a pretence of offering the payments of the Boxer indemnity and foreign loan quotas there would be no payment allowed for meeting domestic loans charged on the Customs; that the control of the Customs service would have the effect of closing Manchuria, not only to foreign trade, but also domestic trade, with the rest of China; and that the arranging of a Customs Union with Japan would completely sever Manchuria from China and attach, it to Japan?
§ Mr. EDENI have seen the message to which the hon. Member refers, but I have no independent information that action of this nature is contemplated. As regards the attitude of His Majesty's Government towards the question of the Customs Administration, I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which my right hon. Friend gave to the hon. Member for East Dorset (Mr. Hall-Caine) on, the 21st March.
§ Mr. JONESIs it still the view of His Majesty's Government that the attitude taken up by the British Government is the same as that outlined by the right hon. Gentleman the Member for West Birmingham (Sir A. Chamberlain), when he was Foreign Secretary, namely, that Manchuria was part of Chinese territory?
§ Mr. EDENI should be glad if the hon. Gentleman would put these questions on the Paper. It is rather difficult to answer them without seeing them.