§ Mr. NEWMANasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the recent increase in harbour and light dues at the Piræus, to the exclusion of British engineers from serving on Greek steamers, even when holding a Greek certificate, and to the increase in import duties on machinery; whether he has read the report of the British Consul at the Piræus for the year 1909, in which the Consul states that the new laws that were hurried through the Chamber are also a deterrent to trade, owing to the rapidity with which the Bills were formulated and presented, the majority were loosely worded, unstudied, and prejudicial to trade and local interests; and whether he would press on the Greek Chamber the desirability of revising and mitigating its legislation where prejudicial to the commercial interests of this country?
§ Sir E. GREYIn all three cases mentioned in the first part of the question His Majesty's Minister at Athens made1610W representations to the Greek Government, and in the first case some Amendments of the original Bill were made. I have read the passage in the Consular Report for the Piræus for 1910. His Majesty's representative at Athens is carefully watching all these questions, and will make any further representations that may appear advisable as opportunity Occurs.