Sir W. Bull asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will ascertain from his representatives in the Far East whether there is any representative organ of British opinion in China in favour of the new com- mercial and industrial proposals put forward by Japan; and, if so, what?
Mr. Primrose: His Majesty's Minister in China keeps His Majesty's Government fully informed of the course of British public opinion there on current matters, but a copy of the hon. Member's question will be forwarded to Sir J. Jordan for a report.
JAPAN (COASTAL TRADE).
Sir J. D. Rees asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what steps have been taken to obtain from Japan reciprocity in respect of coastal trade; and whether any advance has resulted, or is likely to result, from the recent visit of Mr. Monteath to Tokyo?
Sir E. Grey: The matter is still forming the subject of Communication with the I am not in a Japanese Government. position to give any information as regards the results of Mr. Monteath's visit to Tokio. No doubt, the recent change of Government in Japan has unavoidably delayed the our last expected answer from Japan to communication.
Monday, 8th March, 1915.
SOUTHERN MANCHURIA (MANCHESTER GOODS).
Mr. Leach asked the President of be can give the Board of Trade if the figures for the last five years of the amounts of Manchester goods imported into
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Southern Manchuria and Eastern Mongolia respectively?
Mr. Runciman: I regret that I am unable to supply the particulars desired by my hon. friend, as separate and complete statistics of the trade of the regions mentioned are not available.
SOUTHERN MANCHURIA (BRITISH TRADe),
Sir William Bull asked the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the amount of British Trade with Southern Manchuria for each of the years in this ❘ century?
Mr. Runciman: I regret that statistics on this subject are available.
Tuesday, 9th March, 1915.
CHINA TRADING WITH THE ENEMY.
no
Mr. Stewart asked whether Ger- Ching have actively mans resident in encouraged a propaganda amongst Chinese in the Press and otherwise hostile to Great Britain and her allies; whether a meeting was recently held in Shanghai at which German residents resolved to do their best to injure British trade in China; and, if so, whether steps will be taken to prevent British traders from trading with Germans in China?
Sir E. Grey: The Germans in China are believed to have acted in the manner described, and I understand that the meeting referred to took place in Shanghai. The Trading with the Enemy Proclamations have been applied by King's Regulations to British subjects in China, and it has also been intimated that transactions with enemy subjects in China which may not be pro- hibited by the Proclamations are considered to be undesirable.
Mr. Stewart: Is the right hon. gentle- man aware that Germans are boasting that we cannot carry on our own trade without their permission, and that our prestige with the Chinese is being very much impaired ?
Sir E. Grey: I have not seen that particular statement, but, if it is so, it is only in character with other statements made in the same quarter, to which little importance need be attached.
Mr. Stewart asked the President of the Board of Trade whether firms in this country have been doing business with German firms in China since the declaration
of War; whether merchandise is being carried for German firms in British ships and financed by British banks; whether some of the principal German firms in China are branches of their head offices in Germany to whom the profits on trading referred to will eventually accrue; if so, whether he will give the names of the firms interested in this trade; and will be use his influence to ensure that the requirements of our Chinese customers are supplied through British firms whose profits, if any, may eventually come back to this country, not to Germany?
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position as those living in a German enemy coloay?
Mr. Runciman: There are great diffi- culties about German firms trading in China, and I fear that they could not be treated as though they were living in German territory.
the Mr. Stewart asked
President of the Board of Trade whether the opinion expressed in the Board of Trude Journal of 31st December, 1914, page 891, that trans- actions between British traders and German subjects commercially domiciled in China are undesirable at the present time, still hold good; and whether His Majesty's Govern. ment will take steps to ensure that those firms who, in defiance of the above opinion, continue to trade with German firms in China get no advantage over those firms who, in deference to the above opinion, do not do so?
British themselves.
Mr. Runciman: It is still the opinion of His Majesty's Government that it is un- desirable for British firms to engage in transactions with Germans commercially domiciled in China, and there are reasonS
to for thinking it be usually disad Mr. Runciman: The emergency legisla-vantageous from the point of view of the tion and Proclamations relating to trading with the enemy do not prohibit trading with German firms or branches situated in China. The Board of Trade are, however, doing all they can to encourage the transfer of business from German to British firms in China. I fear I could not undertake to obtain a complete list of all German firms doing business in China, or of British firms who may be doing business with them.
Mr. Stewart: As every Gorman subject
in China is subject to the German Consul before whom the merchants have to plead, cannot they be treated as being in the same
Mr. Stewart: Can the right hon. gentleman do anything to enforce his opinion, and to secure its being respected by firms in this country?
Mr. Runciman: I would rather not give particulars of the influence that we can bring to bear, but the hon. gentleman may take it for granted that we do use it.
Mr. Stewart: Will the right hon. namės in the gentleman publish the Journal?
Mr. Runciman; No.
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