§ Sir A. Knoxasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has yet received a report on the trade boycott against British goods which is being carried on in Shantung, particularly in Tsinan and Tsingtao?
§ Mr. ButlerYes, Sir. A report has been received confirming the existence of a committee for the enforcement of anti-British activities at Tsinan. The committee is ostensibly a private organisation. It has been engaged in registering all stocks of British goods under penalty of confiscation, but it would seem that in practice it has found itself unable to enforce its full intentions. Recently there have been indications of a gradual improvement in the situation both at554W Tsinan and elsewhere in the interior of the province, and the situation will continue to be closely watched to see if this improvement is maintained.