asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, having regard to the fact that the League of Nations has referred to the Council of Ambassadors Bulgaria's protest respecting the persecution of minorities in Western Thrace, His Majesty's Government agrees with the statement of the League of Nations to the effect that Western Thrace is under the protection of the Allied Powers; and, if so, what instructions His Majesty's Government is prepared to give to its representative on the Council of Ambassadors with a view to promoting the maintenance of order in Western Thrace?

It is true that under the Treaty of Neuilly Western Thrace was transferred to the Allied and Associated Powers. Under the subsequent Treaty of 10th August, 1920, the territory was, however, assigned by the Powers to Greece, and the Greek authorities have since that date administered the territory with the full approval of the Powers. This latter Treaty has not yet been ratified, but His Majesty's Government do not consider that the present juridical status of Western Thrace imposes upon them an effectual responsibility for the administration of that territory. The Greek Government are understood to be doing their best to maintain order in the country and to restrict the activities of the Bulgarian bands on the northern frontier. They have given an assurance that the deportations which have been necessitated by the present situation will not be permanent and that the deportees will be repatriated. His Majesty's representative on the Ambassadors' Conference will therefore be instructed to confine his efforts to taking note of the assurances of the Greek Government, and to pointing out the desirability of taking early action to conform the de jure to the de facto status of the country.

Have we any representatives or consuls in Western Thrace who can see things for themselves and report?

The hon. and gallant Member must give me notice of that question and then I can give him the names of our representatives there. I have already made one statement in answer to a similar question.

Has Bulgaria free access to Western Thrace?

I cannot say. This is one of the questions coming before the Lausanne Conference, and I cannot give a reply in answer to a supplementary question.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if the American claim for the occupied Army has been admitted; and, if so, how do the Allies purpose meeting the claim?

The question is still under discussion.

Is this not due to German reparations and to the maintenance of Continental armies of occupation?

asked the Prime Minister whether His Majesty's Government has yet taken any action with regard to the recent German Note on reparations; whether any reply has been made to the German Government and what is its nature; and when the position is going to be explained to the House of Commons?

I can add nothing at present to the statement which I made yesterday on this subject.

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware of the terms of the decision of the Supreme Court of Washington in the case of the Cunard Steamship Company versus Andrew Mellon and others on the subject of the admission of British steamships carrying intoxicating liquor on board into ports of the United States; whether any communications on this subject have been received from the United States; and, if so, whether he can make any statement on the matter?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether our Ambassador in Washington has been instructed to protest against the application of the prohibition rule to British ships entering American territorial waters; and whether he has any official information that America still intends to enforce its prohibition rule against foreign ships, seeing that only last week the State of New York has repealed prohibition?

The full terms of the Supreme Court's decision have not yet been received. The Secretary of State has been notified by the United States Chargé d'Affaires that new regulations, based on the decision, are being prepared and will be enforced on all shipping, both foreign and domestic, on and after the 10th June. His Majesty's Ambassador at Washington, acting upon instructions, represented some months ago to the United States Government, in the most friendly way, the inconvenience and the, possibly, embarrassing precedent which might result from interference with the traditional freedom of international marine commerce through the imposition of domestic legislation on foreign shipping within territorial waters in cases where the legislation in question is not generally accepted by the outside world. It is not possible to define the attitude of His Majesty's Government more explicitly until further information is available.

Will the hon. and gallant Gentleman draw the attention of the United States Government to the Bill which is down for introduction to-day, and which will probably have to be passed if this is persisted in?

Will the hon. Member rise in his place, and oppose such a ridiculous Measure of reprisal?

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that loans have recently been made between France and Poland, and France and Serbia, for 400,000,000 francs and 300,000,000 francs, respectively; and, in view of our own heavy financial burdens, whether he will consider the advisability of asking for some repayment of the money owing to this country?

I have nothing to add to the answers given respectively by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 7th March in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Ilford, and by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Department of Overseas Trade on 2nd May in reply to a question by the hon. Member for Dundee.