§ 57. Mr. De Chairasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1) how much capital has been invested by British investors in the Colonial Empire since the war; and what has been the average yield of investments in this field during the period;
(2) whether he can give an estimate of how much British capital has been invested in British and foreign countries, respectively, since the War; how much capital in either case has been lost; and to what extent has there been default in the payment of interest or dividends in the respective fields of investment?
§ The Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Captain Euan Wallace)I fear that no statistics are available which would enable me to answer these questions. I would, however, refer him to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for the Wood Green Division of Middlesex (Mr. Baxter) on 5th March, 1936, of which I am sending him a copy, and also to the annual reports published by the Council of Foreign Bondholders.
§ Mr. De ChairMay I ask my right hon. Friend how His Majesty's Government expect to develop the Colonial Empire if they cannot obtain these facts?