§ Mr. BENNETTasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state if the British bondholders of the German issue of the Tientsin Railway Loan will be treated equally to the other non-enemy bondholders of the same issue in respect of those numbers of bonds which were specially examined by the solicitors of the Chinese Legation in London and duly approved by the Chinese Government in Peking as good bonds; and whether further representations have been made by the British Minister in Peking to remove any discrimination in respect of these bonds and to protect the British bondholders?
Mr. LOCKER-LAMPSONThere has not, so far as I am aware, been any discrimination in treatment as between British and other non-ex-enemy holders of validated bonds of the German issue though there has, as the hon. Member is aware, been discrimination as between holders of the German issue as a whole and holders of the British issue, the position in regard to which was described in the reply given to the hon. Member for Batley and Morley (Mr. Forrest) on the 10th of March last. As the whole of the issue of both the Tientsin-Pukow loans is now in default, the question of discrimination no longer arises, and His Majesty's Minister at Peking continues to press the Chinese Government to meet their obligations in respect of these loans.