§ Sir H. Morris-Jonesasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will inquire into the reason why the Argentine Government has taken possession of the irrigation system constructed by a private company in the Gaiman Valley of Patagonia, constructed at great expense by the Welsh settlers there; and into numerous other complaints by the Welsh colonists, with a view to securing a satisfactory settlement, in view of the isolated character of this community and the hardships they have undergone
Mr. McNeilHis Majesty's Ambassador at Buenos Aires has reported that the irrigation scheme in the Gaiman Valley was started with the help of a loan from the Argentine Government, which the local residents who founded the Company have since been unable to redeem; nor have they been able to maintain the interest payments on the loan. The Argentine Government, therefore, now intend to expropriate the Company, a step which, in the opinion of His Majesty's Consul-General who has visited the district, is perhaps the only satisfactory solution to the irrigation problem in this area Only one other complaint by the Welsh Colony in Chubut has been brought to the notice of His Majesty's Government At Gaiman the growth of the town has left the old cemetery, which is municipal property, in its centre, and the local residents have objected to a municipal order that any persons interested in burials there must remove the bodies to a new cemetery by a certain date. This matter was discussed with the Colonists by His Majesty's Consul-General when he visited the district. As my right hon. Friend the Minister of State informed the hon. Member on 29th January, no request for assistance342W has been received by His Majesty's Ambassador at Buenos Aires In any case, as the Minister of State then said, the majority of the colonists are now, according to our information, of Argentine nationality, so that any action taken on their behalf by His Majesty's Ambassador would necessarily be informal in character.