Scheme for Efficient Force for Police Purposes London, July 10.
In the House of Commons this afternoon Mr. W. Hy Ayles, La-hour M.P. for North Bristol, asked whether consideration of the recent Naval Agreement signed by Britain and China providing for the training of Chinese naval cadet in Britain and the engagement by the Chinese Government of a Bute ish Naval Mission to assist in the development of the Chinese Navy. could be postponed till after the Disarmament Conference of the League of Nations and also whether the agreement would be submitted to the House of Commons before it was finally ratified?
Mr, Arthur Henderson, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, plied that the contract providing for the Naval Mission was negetinted with the approval of the last Government, He added that it was proper for the British Government to assist the new Chinese Government in organizing armet forces for general police purposes and for the suppression of piracy. The British Government had no information that the Chinese Government proposed to embark on a programme of naval expansion involving competition in armaments and would never encourage China to participate in such a policy.
Sir Austen Chamberlain asked whether the present Government approved the action of their pros decessors.
Mr, Arthur Henderson replied that he was not aware that he had said anything inconsistent with the suggestion made by Sir Austen Chamberlain—Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.