§ Captain BULLOCKasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what is the present yearly contribution of this country to the League of Nations; what is the contribution of the British Empire 942W as a whole, France, Germany, Italy, and Japan, respectively; what percentage of the whole amount contributed is represented by our own contribution and that of the Empire, respectively; and whether the contribution of any participating nation, and, if so, which, has been reduced since the inception of the League?
Mr. A. HENDERSONThe contribution payable by His Majesty's Government to the League of Nations (including the International Labour Organisation) during 1929 amounts to gold francs 2,702,598 (approximately £108,000). The contribution of the British Empire as a whole (including Great Britain) is gold francs 6,593,529. The contributions of the other countries mentioned in the question are:
The percentage of the League's expenses payable by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom is 10.65 per cent. and by the British Empire as a whole is 26.2 per cent. With regard to the last part of the question, it should be explained that the original allocation of expenses was fixed on the basis of the scale laid down for the Universal Postal Union. This, however, was found unsuitable, and the Assembly of 1920 appointed a Committee to investigate the question of allocation. The Committee formulated a scheme which has been varied from time to time, and the present scheme is to be subject to revision in 1932. Changes in the contributions of the States Members of the League have also been involved by the necessary redistribution on the accession and resignation of States. Much time and labour would be involved in the preparation of a statement showing the precise variations in the contributions of the various States from year to year, and since the information is contained in the published accounts of the League, I hope that the hon. and gallant Member will not press for further information on this point.
Gold francs. France … … 2,025,285 Germany … … 2,078,011 Italy … … 1,533,737 Japan … … 1,530,739