asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give particulars of the reports received from His Majesty's representative in Egypt of the differences that have recently occurred between His Majesty King Farouk and his Cabinet?

No, Sir. The hon. Member cannot expect me to answer questions regarding the domestic affairs of friendly States.

Has the Minister had any reports at all from His Majesty's representative?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has any statement to make with reference to the negotiations being carried on between Danzig and Poland for the recognition of Danzig as a State; and whether, as this is a matter solely for the League of Nations, Poland has been authorised to negotiate on its behalf?

I have seen in the Press reports of the nature referred to in the hon. Member's question, but I should not like him to assume that such negotiations are in fact taking place.

Do I understand that Poland had no authority to undertake any such negotiations?

I have no doubt whatever that, if they affected any other States, or the League, the Polish Government would inform the League.

Would they have any authority to initiate negotiations without authority from the League?

That is another matter. I am sure that if there was any decision, they would refer it to the League.

Will the right hon. Gentleman inquire whether they are negotiating at all on this very important subject?

I do not share the hon. Member's anxiety.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he proposes to take with reference to the expulsion of Reuter's correspondent, Mr. H. D. Harrison, from Yugoslavia on the ground that he transmitted to foreign countries a statement that a Mickey Mouse comic strip in a Belgrade newspaper had been banned because it bore on national politics?

I was informed by the Yugoslav Government on 7th December that, in spite of repeated warnings, they had on many occasions had cause to complain of Mr. Harrison's presentation of news to the British public. The Yugoslav Government further stated that they had been obliged on the occasion of Mr. Harrison's last despatch dealing with an act of the censorship to intimate to him that his continued presence in Belgrade would be undesirable. His Majesty's Minister at Belgrade took the matter up with the Yugoslav authorities, but they informed him that they were unable to alter their decision. It will be realised that the grant or withdrawal of permission to reside in any country is entirely a matter for the Government of that country to decide.

Is it right that a British subject should be expelled from a country for such a ridiculous reason as this?

It is not a question of whether it is right. We always claim for ourselves the right to act as we think fit in relation to foreigners living in this country, and as we attach importance to this privilege, we cannot take action which contradicts it.

Will my right hon. Friend consider advising the Prince Regent to try to instil a little sense of humour into the people of his country?

Will the right hon. Gentleman also suggest that they should display a comic strip relating to Mickey Mander?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will consider the advisability of exercising the right of Great Britain, under Article 11 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, to bring to the attention of the Council the action of Japan in threatening France that the French railways from Hanoi, in Indo-China, running across the border into China, will be bombed if the transit of arms through French Indo-China continues?

No, Sir. This does not seem to be a matter for the initiative of His Majesty's Government.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether, to his knowledge, the French Government have been threatened in this way?

That is a question to which only the French Government can reply.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any specific date has been fixed yet by the Japanese Government for the payment of compensation for damage done to British lives and property at Shanghai, Nanking, and elsewhere in China?

While no specific date has been fixed, negotiations are now in progress for the payment of claims arising out of recent events in China.

Can the right hon. Gentleman give some assurance to the people concerned that an early result is likely to accrue from these negotiations? This is a very serious matter, particularly to the people whose property is completely damaged.

I am conscious of the seriousness of the matter. Claims, as the hon. Member will appreciate, are in a different category, but we are alive to the urgency of the matter.

Does this include the damage done at the end of last week?

I think this relates to the situation at Shanghai.

Are the dependants of those who have been killed being cared for by the British Government pending a settlement?

Those are particularly the class of claims which come in the first category which I have in mind.

Can the right hon. Gentleman lay a summary of the cases?

I will consider that point. They are being compiled by our authorities at Shanghai, and I am not sure that we have the full details.

Could we also have a list of apologies which have been received?

asked the First Lord of the Admiralty particulars of the reports he has received of the attack made by Japanese bombers near Nanking, on Sunday, 12th December, on the two British gunboats the "Scarab" and the "Cricket"; and of the incident in which a Japanese battery fired at the "Ladybird" in the same locality?

I have nothing to add to the full statement which was made on Monday by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in reply to a Private Notice Question on this subject.

Has the injured man since died?

No, Sir. The man who was injured is progressing favourably, according to the latest reports.

asked the Prime Minister whether the advisability of reinforcing the China Squadron has been under his consideration, especially the desirability of there being some capital ships in Far Eastern waters, in view of repeated attacks upon British warships, merchant shipping, and property; and what decision, if any, he has come to?

The hon. and gallant Gentleman may rest assured that the protection of British interests in the Far East is the subject of constant pre-occupation on the part of His Majesty's Government, but I have no further statement to make on this matter to-day.

Is there any alternative to reinforcing, other than the present process of protests, followed by apology, followed by a repetition of the offence?

We cannot spend any more time on this question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total number of protests made by the British Government through official channels to the Japanese Government since 26th August, 1937?

The hon. Member will appreciate that the distinction between a protest and representations not amounting to a protest is a difficult one to define accurately. I will, however, consider whether I can furnish him with the information for which he asks.

Is the right hon. Gentleman thoroughly satisfied that the Japanese Government are giving the consideration to these protests that we should expect them to give?

Satisfaction is almost an unknown sentiment for a Foreign Secretary.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, with a view to simplifying the arduous duties now being performed by the British Navy, he will endeavour to expedite the granting of equal belligerent rights to both sides in the Spanish civil war and the recognition of a de facto state of war?

As my hon. and gallant Friend will be aware, under the resolution adopted on 4th November, His Majesty's Government, in common with the other Governments represented on the Non-intervention Committee, have agreed that they will recognise both sides as entitled to exercise belligerent rights at sea as soon as, in the opinion of the committee, the withdrawal of foreign nationals from Spain has made substantial progress.

May I ask whether "substantial progress" means, as has been said, 75 per cent. of the effectives present?

There will certainly need to be an agreed definition before belligerent rights are granted.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether belligerent rights will be qualified according to sub-paragraph (iii), I think, of the British proposals, that is to say, food, and so on, is excluded?

The hon. Member is asking me a question which he has on the Paper, and was not here to put.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether there is any progress towards getting an agreed definition?

Perhaps the hon. Member will put that question down.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any statement has been made by His Majesty's Government concerning General Franco's declaration of a blockade of the eastern coast of Spain?

I would refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave on this subject to the hon. and gallant Member for Nuneaton (Lieut. - Commander Fletcher) on 8th December.

Was that reply, in effect, a refusal to recognise a right of blockade?

I think the reply was quite clear:

"His Majesty's Ambassador at Hendaye has been instructed to inform the Salamanca authorities that as belligerent rights have not been recognised to either party in the Spanish conflict, His Majesty's Government are not prepared to admit their right to declare any such blockade."—[OFFICIAL REPORT, 8th December, 1937; col. 357, Vol. 330.]

While thanking the right hon. Gentleman for that explanation, may I ask whether that policy includes a refusal to recognise the right to bomb British ships from the air?

That certainly is not recognised, either, but it is a different question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the Non-intervention Committee has ever agreed to, or embodied in, any engagement to which the participating countries have set their hands, the proposal made by the Italian Government early in the war, to the effect that expressions of moral solidarity with one side or other should be reckoned as intervention?

I have no knowledge that any such proposal was made by the Italian Government, and no such proposal has been agreed to by the Nonintervention Committee or embodied in any engagement undertaken by the countries participating in the Non-intervention Agreement.

May it not be taken for granted, then, that a participating Government does not commit any breach of its engagements when it expresses a moral solidarity with either of the parties in the Spanish conflict?

I am afraid that the hon. Lady must make her own deductions from my answer.

Is it not a fact that on the day after the outbreak of the war an expression of moral solidarity came from the Soviet Union and that it has never ceased to be expressed?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention has been drawn to the designation of a detachment of the Spanish republican army as the Major Attlee company; how many Englishmen are in this detachment; and whether he will represent to the Spanish Republican Government that this detachment should be redesignated, in order to avoid the suggestion that this country has committed a breach of the Non-intervention Agreement?

My attention has been drawn to Press reports on this subject, but I am not in a position to state the number of Englishmen serving in the detachment in question. In any case, I do not consider that any action is called for on the part of His Majesty's Government, since all concerned are already well aware of the views of His Majesty's Government with regard to the intervention of British and other foreign volunteers in the Spanish conflict.

Will my right hon. Friend make inquiries through the usual channels?

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether General Franco has been warned not to bomb this company?

Would the designation of the company in this particular way have any effect upon the course of hostilities?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the names of ships legally flying the British flag which have been fired at, sunk, or damaged by mine, torpedo, bomb, gun, or machine-gun fire on the high seas in the Mediterranean, Atlantic, and Bay of Biscay, respectively, since the outbreak of the Spanish civil war; the position when attacked and, where known, who was responsible; and what claims have been forwarded to the responsible authorities?

The ships regarding which the hon. Member desires information are, so far as I can ascertain, 25 in number. As those particulars which I am in a position to give are somewhat long, I will, with the hon. Member's permission, circulate them in the OFFICIAL REPORT. The hon. Member will appreciate that it is not possible to determine with certainty the responsibility for some of the incidents. In regard to the question of claims, I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Noble Friend to the hon. Member for West Fife (Mr. Gallacher) on 10th November last.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say, in regard to these ships about which it is possible to state with certainty, which side in the civil war was responsible for these attacks?

Yes, Sir. I think that my table will show that quite clearly. It is a very full document which has taken a great deal of work to prepare.

Can the right hon. Gentleman tell the House whether any compensation has been received from any source in any of these cases?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs the total number of protests made by the British Government to the representatives of the Spanish insurgent authorities since August, 1936?

The hon. Member will recall that a similar question was put to me on 13th April by the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, East (Mr. Mander) who, on my request, was so good as not to press his inquiry in view of the great labour required both here and at His Majesty's Embassy at Hendaye and Consulates in Spain for the collection of the desired information. In these circumstances I hope that the hon. Member will not press his request.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can make any statement on the preamble to the resolution of the Non-intervention Committee of 4th November so as to show whether it is to be understood that the proposals there referred to as contained in the Van Dulm-Hemming report are to be taken as relating only to the measures which may be necessary to render control more fully effective, or whether they extend so as to refer to the proposals relating to withdrawal of volunteers and granting of belligerent rights?

The Van Dulm-Hemming report is a confidential document which has been circulated to members of the Non-intervention Committee and sent to the two parties in Spain, but I understand that the proposals contained in it deal solely with the strengthening of control on the land and sea frontiers of Spain and are not concerned with the withdrawal of volunteers or the granting of belligerent rights.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he will give an assurance that His Majesty's Government will not make or support any proposal for the granting of belligerent rights to the parties in the Spanish conflict until an effective system of land and sea control has been established, and until the conditions laid down in paragraph 8 (iii) of the British proposals of 14th July have been fulfilled?

His Majesty's Government have accepted the resolution proposed by the Non-intervention Committee on 4th November last which provided for the granting of belligerent rights to both parties in Spain when certain conditions including the re-establishment of the control scheme and those enumerated in paragraph 8 (iii) of the British proposals of 14th July have been fulfilled.

Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether he would not require a controlled scheme a good deal more satisfactory than the one originally destroyed, before he will proceed to grant belligerent rights?

I think that arises on the next question.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give an assurance that His Majesty's Government will not grant belligerent rights to the parties in the Spanish conflict without having previously given an opportunity for the matter to be discussed in this House?

His Majesty's Government, together with the other Governments represented on the Non-intervention Committee, have agreed in principle to the resolution of 4th November, of which the granting of belligerent rights, when certain other conditions have been fulfilled, forms part. Should such progress be made as enabled belligerent rights to be granted in accordance with the provisions of the scheme, His Majesty's Government, with the other nations represented on the Non-intervention Committee, would be bound to honour their undertaking. They would, however, no doubt, in accordance with normal practice, give this House an opportunity of discussing their action.

May we gather that no such step will be taken during the Christmas Recess?

The hon. Lady must remember that the Government are bound by undertakings they have given with other Governments to implement this agreement if it can be done.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the recent speech of the head of the Italian State in connection with the withdrawal of Italy from membership of the League of Nations will have any effect on the policy of His Majesty's Government to seek to strengthen the League of Nations within all possible limits?

No, Sir.

May the House take it that it is still the policy of His Majesty's Government to strengthen the League of Nations?

I think my answer is abundantly clear.

Is it not the case that on 6th August the French Government, when they appealed to Italy to join the Non-intervention Agreement, received a reply asking for moral solidarity, and it was never answered?

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the preparatory work of the League of Nations to secure economic recovery is now completed; and, if not, whether he will take steps to have such preparatory work accelerated?

The main preparatory work of the League of Nations in regard to economic recovery was completed by the reports presented last September by the Economic Committee and by the Raw Materials Committee. The Assembly last September endorsed the recommendations of these committees and invited the Financial and Economic Organisation to pursue

"the study of the methods that could suitably be applied in order to carry them into practical effect."

This study of the work is being pursued as rapidly as possible but progress in this field depends obviously on the extent to which the individual Governments are prepared to take action. In addition, the Economic Committee was invited to study a series of other questions including measures for raising the standard of living, demographic studies, international migration, and measures for the prevention or mitigation of economic depressions. The preparatory work on these subjects is not yet completed; but I am satisfied that progress is being made.

In view of the fact that the present international tension is very largely due to economic causes, will the Foreign Secretary do what he can to expedite a study of this matter?

Yes, I think there will be general agreement that the Economic Committee of the League has done extremely good work, and we shall do all we can to expedite it.

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when the League of Nations committee engaged in considering a revision of the League Covenant will make its report?

The Committee on the Application of the Principles of the Covenant is holding a further meeting next month. I am unable to forecast when a final report will be issued.

When was this committee constituted?

I cannot say without notice.

Will the right hon. Gentleman give an assurance to the House that no binding decision will be taken by His Majesty's Government that will have the effect of weakening the Covenant, without the approval of the House?

As far as I know, no immediate decision is contemplated, and even if it were, that clearly would be subject to ratification by the House.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the fact that the freights for the transport of fruit from the West Indies to this country are exceptionally high and gravely handicap the trade of these Colonies; and whether he will cause inquiry to be made?

I do not know precisely to what the hon. Member is referring. The most important West Indian fruit is the banana, and I have not heard it suggested that banana freights are excessive.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider any information that I may send him?

I shall be glad to do so.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what immediate steps are being taken in Trinidad to meet the increasing unrest among sections of the working population now suffering from hardship due to the rising cost of living and onerous conditions of employment?

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the continued industrial unrest in Trinidad owing to the low wage-rates and the demand for a 25 per cent. increase thereof; and whether he will initiate or advise an impartial inquiry into the grievances?

I have received no representations from the Colony on the matters referred to in these questions. As regards the establishment of suitable machinery for the settlement of such industrial disputes, I propose to await the report of the recent Commission of Inquiry which has already investigated the causes of the labour unrest. Their report is expected shortly.

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is considerable unrest, that may break out again, and that while we are waiting for the Royal Commission to report a considerable time may elapse?

I do not think so. I think everybody is expecting the report of this Commission very shortly, and that has caused a recrudescence of unrest of certain kinds; but the only actual incident of which I know was a temporary strike in a sugar factory. That has been settled, and everybody is back.

May we have a special inquiry into the wages paid in Trinidad?

That has just been done by the Commission.

When will the report be published?

It will be published as part of their report. As I say, it is practically complete now, but it will have to go out to Trinidad from here for the signature of the two local members.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many Indian natives are working on the Ceylon tea plantations; how many of these are men, women, and children, respectively; and what are the daily earnings of each of these categories?

The figures at my disposal do not differentiate between tea and other estates; but the total Indian estate population in 1936 was 659,311, of whom 206,530 were men, 119,520 women, and 253,261 children. For the same year the legal minimum rates of wages applicable for a working day of nine hours, including time not exceeding one hour taken for the mid-day meal, were as follow:

Does not the right hon. Gentleman realise that these rates indicate a very low standard of life indeed; and, in view also of the fact that these men, women and children are not working for continuous periods, will he not take some action to guarantee to these workers a higher standard of life?

That is quite beyond my power; it is a matter entirely for the Ceylon Ministers and State Council.

Is there any restriction as to the age at which these children are allowed to work?

Oh, yes. As the hon. Gentleman knows, all these people are migratory workers who go backwards and forwards, and their conditions are settled with the representatives of the Government of India. I must make it clear, however, that it is a matter for the Ceylon Government, and not for me. I can only give information: I can take no action.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of estate schools, as at the last convenient date, that are being maintained for the children of labourers working on estates in the Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, and Ceylon, and the rate of regular attendances of Indian children at these schools?

In the territories named the number of estate schools and of Indian pupils attending them were as follow in 1936:

Are facilities given to these children to acquire a knowledge of the English language?

No; these are almost entirely Tamil schools for Tamil people.

Will the right hon. Gentleman consider giving the children such facilities?

English is taught in the Government schools, but in these estate schools, which are for migrant workers, it is in accordance with the wishes of the Government of India that Tamil should be the medium of instruction.

Is the right hon. Gentleman satisfied with a situation in which 39,000 migrant Indian children are attending schools out of a total of well over 200,000?

They are of all ages. I do not think it can be said that the Tamil children in Ceylon are entirely catered for by schools provided by the rubber estates; there are other schools.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware of the apprehension that the proposed Ordinance in regard to education in Sierra Leone will lead to the closing of schools; and whether he will give the assurance that the number of schools and school-places will not be reduced but increased after the passing of the Bill?

No representations have reached me to the effect stated in the first part of the question. It is the policy of the Sierra Leone Government to extend, rather than to curtail, the facilities for education; and the power to order a school to be closed, which is aimed at cases such as those in which a school may be deemed to be inefficient or to be conducted in an unsuitable building, will only be used with due care. The new Ordinance follows closely that which has been in force in Nigeria.

Does the right hon. Gentleman recognise that, because of the Clause in the Ordinance which gives power for the closing of schools, there is considerable apprehension; and does he further recognise that the natives would prefer inefficient schools to no schools at all? Further, can he give the assurance asked for in the last part of my question, that the number of schools and school places will not be reduced?

It is very difficult to say. In this country, of course, we are carrying on, quite rightly, a campaign against bad school buildings, and so on, and I think that Sierra Leone is sufficiently advanced now, and has sufficient revenues, to make sure that any education given there is efficient, and is conducted in properly healthy surroundings.

May I take it that the number of school places will not be reduced?

I cannot tell.