§ 51. Mr. Priceasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether any negotiations on the renewal of the standstill agreement for the pre-1931 short-term credits owed by Germany to British firms are pending; whether the Treasury will be represented at any negotiations; and whether he will take action at these negotiations to ensure that Germany's export surplus will be used for fulfilling her commercial obligations abroad before it is spent in rearmament?
§ The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Sir John Simon)Negotiations regarding the standstill credits are, I understand, now in progress. His Majesty's Government are not a party to or represented at these negotiations which are between representatives of the German debtors and their banking creditors.
§ Mr. PriceIn view of the seriousness of this matter and its political repercussions, will the Chancellor of the Exchequer not consider the advisability of having a Treasury representative there to watch the negotiations?
§ Sir J. SimonI think the standstill agreement was arrived at in the same way, and those who are concerned, both on this side and on the other side, are extremely competent to deal with the matter.