Mr. Becket asked, with regard to a statement that Colonel Gordon had ordered the Shanghai Municipal Police to occupy the Shanghai University, whether it were competent for a military officer on his own authority to occupy private build ings without a mandate from the civil authorities, Mr. Chamberlain replied that the question was based on an assumption of fact which he would neither confirm nor deny at present.
Replying to Mr, Mackinder (La-hour) the Foreign Secretary said that he certainly desired to give the House full information on this sub-Jeet but he hoped the members would not ask him to answer questions when he was not yet in po session of the information or to ex-
Press an opinion on matters on which he was not fully informed. He pointed out that this was not a matter arising in a British colony but in an International Settlement and it was important that he should act in agreement with the other Powers.
Replying to another question by Mr. Beckett Mr. Chamberlain said that he did not know the exact nature of the divergence of views in the recent discussions between the diplomatic representatives in Peking from which the French Minister had withdrawn, Replying to Colonel Day Mr. Chamberlain said that the British representatives to the Chinese Customs Conference had not yet been appointed. "He was not able yet to when the conference was likely to be held but he pointed out that the Washington Treaty provided that it should most within three months of ratification, the date and place to be designated by the Chinese Government. Asked whether he was aware that the American Government had already appointed their commissioners to the Customs Conference, Mr. Chamberlain said that this did not arise from the ques-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.