Lords Sitting of 11 February 1941

Preamble
The House met, The LORD CHANCELLOR on the Woolsack.

DERWENT VALLEY WATER BILL. [H.L.]
THE CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES (THE EARL OF ONSLOW): My Lords, I beg to move the Motion which stands in my name on the Paper.
Moved, That Standing Order No. 105 be considered in order to its being dispensed with in respect of the said Bills.—(The Earl of Onslow.)
On Question, Motion agreed to, and ordered accordingly.

CARDIFF CORPORATION BILL. [H.L.]
Read 2a, and committed: the Committee to be proposed by the Committee of Selection.
DERWENT VALLEY WATER BILL. [H.L.]
Read 2a, and committed: the Committee to be proposed by the Committee of Selection.
EAST SURREY GAS BILL. [H.L.]
Read 2a, and committed: the Committee to be proposed by the Committee of Selection.

CHARTERED AND OTHER BODIES (METHODIST CHURCH) ORDER, 1941.
THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA AND BURMA (THE DUKE OF DEVONSHIRE): My Lords, I beg to move that this Order be approved.
Moved, That the Order, as reported from the Special Orders Committee, be approved.—(The Duke of Devonshire.)
On Question, Motion agreed to.

SUPPLIES FOR JAPAN.
LORD DAVIES: My Lords, I beg to ask the first question standing in my name.
[The question was as follows:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any companies controlled by British or American interests are now supplying oil to Japan; and whether arrangements have been made with the Government of the Netherlands to prevent the export of oil and other raw materials from the Dutch East Indies to Japan.]
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DOMINION AFFAIRS (LORD CECIL) (Viscount Cranborne): My Lords, I am glad to be able to give the noble Lord the information for which he asks. Companies operating in the Nether-lands East Indies, in which there are important British minority interests, recently came to an agreement with the Japanese Government for the supply of a certain quantity of oil, for the most part on six months contracts. Under a contract with the Anglo-Iranian Company, negotiated in 1939 and coming into force early in 1940, a limited quantity of oil is also being supplied. Except as regards the grades covered by the embargo imposed in August last; which dealt with high octane spirit and aviation crudes, there is, so far as His Majesty's Government are aware, no legal obstacle in the way of Japan obtaining from the United States those quantities for which she is able to place contracts. With regard to the second part of the noble Lord's question, dealing with exports of oil and other raw materials from the Dutch East Indies, this is, as I am sure he will appreciate, a matter for the Netherlands Government, whose policy in this matter is no doubt
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governed by considerations to which they have given careful thought.
LORD DAVIES: My Lords, I beg to ask the second question standing in my name.
[The question was as follows:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any supplies of raw materials are now being exported from the Dominions to Japan.]
LORD CECIL: My Lords, as regards the second question which the noble Lord has put to me it would not be appropriate for me to go into details in the matter, but I may say that the policy and practice of His Majesty's Governments in the Dominions in relation to exports to neutral destinations is in general similar to our own. In the case of all important commodities exports from the Dominions, as from the United Kingdom and the Colonial Empire, are subject to control through an export licensing system and export licences are granted only when certain conditions are fulfilled. It is of course for each Dominion Government to determine the conditions on which it will permit the export of raw materials from its own territory, and these conditions are naturally more strict in the case of some commodities than others. In certain cases, for example nickel and copper, the Dominion Governments concerned have instituted a total prohibition on exports to destinations outside the British Empire, except possibly to the United States of America. I would add that there is, on all these questions, close and constant consultation between His Majesty's Government and the Dominion Governments.
House adjourned.