§ Sir W. BULLasked the President of the Board of Trade whether certain funds and investments in the custody of the British Government which belonged to Austrian nationals, and were sequestrated during the War are now being or are about to be paid and transferred to those of our late enemies who, in order to regain their property, merely have to assume the nationality of one of the new States, such as Czecho-Slovakia; whether he is aware that the present position is causing anxiety to British creditors, who are concerned at the disposal of property which was ostensibly accumulated for the protection of their interests and whose claims, although admitted by the debtors and accepted by the Austrian clearing office, cannot apparently be dealt with until those of our late enemies have been 47W satisfied; whether claims for the return of their property made by our late enemies not only take precedence over these of British subjects, but, in view of the insufficiency of the available funds and payments made to the former, will be at the expense of the latter; if so, whether he will take steps to remedy this, either by directing that the claims of British subjects be satisfied in full before any payments be made to our late enemies, or by undertaking to make good any deficit which is likely to result from the existing procedure; whether he is aware that certain of these British creditors who, ever since its establishment, have been pressing their claims against the Austrian clearing office, are now practically destitute and, although suffering hardship, can obtain neither payment nor a definite promise of payment from the clearing office; if so, whether he will direct that prompt and special consideration be given to those necessitous and urgent cases; whether, in the early years of the War Austrian debtors, who were then in a position to discharge their liabilities, offered to pay their British creditors in full provided that the British Government would extend the same treatment to Austrian creditors and that the British Government withheld their consent to this procedure; and what steps he proposes to take in order to discharge the moral obligation which, by their action, the Government have assumed towards the British creditors in the event, of their being thereby prevented from obtaining payment in full of their claims?
§ Sir W. MITCHELL-THOMSONThe property of nationals of the former Austrian Empire who show that they have acquired a new nationalityipso facto under the Treaty of Peace is specifically excepted by the Treaty from the charge upon enemy property, and has to be released. Every effort is being made to expedite the declaration of a dividend upon British claims from the proceeds of property subject to the charge, but I regret that it is not possible to make any immediate payment. His Majesty's Government cannot admit that the trading with the enemy legislation passed during the War involves an obligation of any sort to meet the claims of British creditors from national funds, and I am sure my right hon. Friend will appreciate that it would not be practicable in 48W the present financial conditions to suggest placing an additional burden of this sort upon the Exchequer.