§ Mr. Liddallasked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that the Department of Overseas Trade Report shows United Kingdom purchases from Argentina last year in the ratio of 670 to 286 of Argentine purchases from the United Kingdom; that this creates a credit balance by which Argentina can continue to meet all her obligations to Britain and provide income on £140,000,000 of railway investments now allowed to earn no income; and will he set off this credit balance in any revision of the Anglo-Argentine Meat Agreement?
§ Mr. Liddallasked the Prime Minister whether he is aware that conditions imposed by the public authorities have prevented £143,000,000 of British capital, which provided the Anglo-Argentine railways, from paying any dividend for several years past; and whether he will decline to extend the trade agreement with Argentina while the Argentine authorities compel the railways to work under freight schedules, staffing conditions, and rates of exchange which deny them an operating profit while providing indirect subsidies to the pastoral interests?
§ Mr. ButlerI would refer my hon. Friend to the answer which I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne North (Sir N. Grattan-Doyle) yesterday. All questions relating to the 1543W continuance of the present Trade Agreement with Argentina will fall for consideration in the light of circumstances when the time comes; in this connection the observations of my hon. Friends will be borne in mind.