London, July 24
FTER having read the text of the preliminary agreement between Great Britain and Japan signed in Tokyo last Saturday night, Mr. Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister, replied in the House of Commons to several questions on the accord.
replied in the negative to Mr. Arthur Henderson, Labour member for the Kingswinford Division of Staffordshire, who ask "Will not these concessions in fact constitute de facto recognition of Japanese sovereignty in respect to those parts of China which are now under the control of Japanese armed forces?
Mr, Arthur Greenwood, Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, ushed whether the Prime Minister's statement represented a change in British policy in China, Mr, Chamberlain answered:
"No, it does not."
The Prime Minister then made a statement regarding the Anglo-Japanese agreement:
ince July 15, preliminary conversations have been proceeding In Tokyo between His Majesty's Ambas~ sador and the Japanese Foreign Minister before starting the negotlations for the settlement of the situa: tion in Tientsin," he said, "At the outset of the discussions the Japanese Government expressed the view that i€ progress was to be made in the removal of misunderstandings and the establishment of better relations, was essential to recognize the back-Ground against which the situation in Tientsin should be viewed."
Tientsin Local Conditions Referring to the situation in Tien-{sin itself, Mr. Chamberlain said that the "general position is unchanged. No incidents are reported. The mili situation Is fairly satisfactory. Sup~ piles dre"gooa but continue' to We sub Jeet to delays at barriers."
Following the Feading of the text of the Anglo-Japanese agreement, the only communist' member of" the fouse, Mr. William Gallacher shouted Shameful."
Lieutenant Commander Reginald Fletcher, Labour member. for the Nuneaton Division of Warwickshire, asked the Prime Minister whether he would "give the assurance that nothing will be agreed to in these forthcoming negotiations which calculated to impair the Chinese cur~ Feney oF {0 impair the rights of this country to grant credits to the Chinese Government for any purpose whatsoever'
"Yes, sit," Mr, Chamberlain replied. "the discussions are confined to local Issues in Tientsin,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.