§ 46 and 47. Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether he will request the London and Cambridge Economic Service, or some similar body, to examine the unrestricted facilities of the British investment market which enable selling organisations to dispose of foreign bonds, stocks, and shares to British investors and then to advise whether evidence of the losses sustained by British investors, as instanced by the South and Central American defaults and the collapse of certain Swedish securities, calls for the supervision in future by a competent authority of non-British security flotations in Britain?
(2) whether he will call for a statistical examination to ascertain the net benefit to British trade or to private British investors resulting from the marketing here of Swedish Match securities and of Kreuger and Toll securities, after crediting an estimate of profits and commissions on the marketing obtained by the security-selling firms, crediting the dividends, and debiting capital depreciations on the prices at which these Swedish investments were introduced on the London market?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINI have considered my hon. Friend's suggestions, but I regret I cannot see my way to adopt them.
§ Sir A. M. SAMUELHas not the time arrived when there should be a test of the results of unrestricted overseas investments, so that a practice which has hitherto helped our export trade may not degenerate into a wastage and loss of British resources?
Mr. CHAMBERLAINThat is rather a complicated matter to discuss by question and answer, but, if my hon. Friend will be good enough to see me, I will talk it over with him.