Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 12 March 1924.
Mr Arthur Ponsonby
, Sheffield, Brightside
If, as I assume, the hon. Member refers to the fact that Article 8 of the Mackay Treaty, providing for the abolition of "likin," has not in fact been carried out by the Chinese authorities, I can assure him that His Majesty's Government are fully alive to the importance of the matter. They are indeed at present in consultation with His Majesty's Minister at Peking as to the best means of dealing with this question at the special Conference to be held in pursuance of the Nine-Power Customs Treaty, but it must be realised that great difficulties exist owing to the present disorganised conditions in China and the lack of control of the Central Government over many of the provincial authorities.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
