§ 4. Mr. BURNETTasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether a decision has yet been arrived at by the local authorities in Rio de Janeiro respecting the ferry and tramcar fares of the Cantareira and Leopoldina terminal companies; and, if no agreed settlement has been reached, will he request the Brazilian Government to inform the local authorities that their treatment of British investors in relation to this matter is unsatisfactory and discourages future lending of British savings for the development of Brazil?
§ Mr. EDENI understand that as yet no decision has been reached, but that negotiations are still in progress. In these circumstances no action by His Majesty's Government seems at the moment to be called for; nor, as was stated in the reply returned to my hon. Friend the Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Remer) on the 16th July, do the corn-panics concerned desire that any such action should be taken.
§ 5. Sir CYRIL COBBasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether in view of the hardships imposed upon British savings in various Argentine railways, he will bring to the notice of the Argentine Government the statement made by the chairman of the Central Argentine Railway on 15th November, that the Argentine public do not appreciate the fact that the Argenine railways were constructed with British capital which has caused the development and prosperity of Argentina and is entitled to reasonable remuneration?
§ Mr. EDENThe statement to which my hon. Friend refers was made in the course of the Chairman's speech to the shareholders in the Central Argentine Railway. This was fully reported in the Press, and will doubtless reach the proper quarter in Argentina. The Argentine Government are fully aware of the interest taken by His Majesty's Government in the position of British railways and other British interests in Argentina, and I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by acting as my hon. Friend suggests.