The Prime Minister, replying to Mr. Asquith, said that the
Paris Conference had not proposed a revision of the Peace Treaty. All that it had done was to fix the total sum to be paid in reparation and to propose " an annuity which fluctuates according to the prosperity of the export trade of Germany." At the Turkish Conference the Treaty of Sevres would be a subject for discussion. The Allies wanted peace, on condition that right was done to the Christians of Turkey. The new Middle East Department, which, according to Mr. Asquith, should have been mentioned in the King's Speech, was discussed in the House last December, when Mr. Asquith was not in attendance. The Government were not prepared to say whether they would adopt the report of Lord Milner's Commission on Egypt until they had discussed the question with the Egyptian Ministry. Second Chamber Reform was a matter for the most careful examination, and the Cabinet Committee might not be able to finish its inquiry in time for the Government to deal with the problem this year.
