§ Mr. R. YOUNGasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether large quantities of industrial material which have other uses than those of the manufacture of munitions of war are being destroyed under the terms of the peace treaty with Germany; of what the industrial material mainly consists that is being destroyed; whether among such material important optical instruments of educational value are included; and whether much of the industrial materials could be used for or utilised to advantage in the manufacture of peace products?
Mr. HARMSWORTHThe Inter-Allied Military, Naval and Aeronautical Commissions of Control have full discretionary powers to decide what material (including plant and machinery) must be destroyed under Articles 160, 192, and 202 of the Treaty of Versailles. Generally speaking, it may be said that material, whose use is not purely military, is not being destroyed.