London, Devon, Paris, Morocco, Berlin and New York. Attendance at many meetings of...

PP MS 14/43

1925

London, Devon, Paris, Morocco, Berlin and New York. Attendance at many meetings of the Colwyn Committee on National Debt and Taxation, the Committee of Treasury of the Bank of England, the Boxer Indemnity Committee, the P& O, B& C Corp, and the HSBC, also family life, theatre and concert going, reading and the study of German. In Paris and Morocco attends Bank of Morocco meetings and has discussions with French banks; in Berlin attends Reichsbank meetings and also visits New York for China Consortium meetings.

JANUARY Meetings on the national debt and the gold standard with Norman now in favour of a return to the gold standard. 'I am not in favour of going too fast. From being in the van of restorers I now find myself in the rear', 8; continues study of German; attends discussions on China at the Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs; visits Paris and Berlin.

FEBRUARY Attends continued national debt and gold standard discussions; wants Norman to raise the bank rate; attends discussion on the effects of currency changes on food prices.

MARCH Continued committee meetings; to Berlin.

APRIL Discussions with Norman on the gold standard, a budget speech by Winston Churchill, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and note inconvertibility.

MAY Discussions with Lamont on Chinese affairs; attends Colwyn Committee meeting, to Paris and Berlin, in latter provoking discussion by criticising the payment of interest on Reich deposits; Boxer Indemnity Committee meeting 'a fiddling weak Chairman, Lord Buxton, and a weak committee. A discouraging debut.' 28.

JUNE To North Africa for Bank of Morocco meeting and to Spain; meets Chinese delegates to International Railway Conference; to Berlin for Reichsbank meeting.

JULY Discussion with Sir Francis Aglen, Inspector General of Customs in Peking. 'Very excitable. How unlike his calm predecessor Sir Robert Hart', 7; to Edinburgh University for honorary LLD; refuses Chairmanship of the Committee on Industrial Education; bank rate still under discussion, Addis recommending a reduction; attends Boxer Indemnity Committee Meetings.

AUGUST To Cowes, Isle of Wight, and later, Bideford, Devon, for family holiday; still pressing for a reduction in bank rate; attends talks with Norman on India and on the gold standard.

SEPTEMBER Preparing for a Consortium meeting in New York; attends funeral of Jordan, former British diplomat in Peking, 17; to Berlin for Reichsbank meeting.

OCTOBER Wedding of daughter Susan, 3; problems at Bank of England with Alan Anderson, deputy governor; to New York for Consortium Council meeting, unanimous report signed.

NOVEMBER Continued Colwyn Committee meetings; meets Lord Buxton and has 'a useful talk composing our differences about the Boxer Indemnity Committee', 10; son George to start teaching; attends meetings on Belgian loan; to Berlin for Reichsbank meeting.

DECEMBER 'Bank rate raised to 5% in spite of Churchill's protest on telephone. He is a........', 3; to Paris; attends discussions on Belgian currency.

Requisition as Box no 4

English