BLUE NILE DAM.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19154, 10 November 1927, Page 11

BLUE NILE DAM.

QUESTION IN HOUSE OF COMMONS.

(by cable—press association— copyright.) (australian and h.z. and sun cable )

LONDON, November 8

111 the House of Commons, Sir Austen Chamberlain informed a questioner that he had received reports stating that the Abyssinian Government had granted an American company a concession for the construction of a dam on the Blue Nile. At present there was no official information on the sub ject. Such a concession would be a violation of the British-Abyssinian Treaty of 1902, under which Abyssinia agreed not to allow a dam to be built without Britain's consent. He was confident that Abyssinia was not unmindful of-this obligation. Asked if the British and Americans were to fight over the matter, Sir Austen Chamberlain said that he thought this was a hypothetical question- He might, in the public interest, state that no question had arisen between Biitain and the United States. He did not anticipate any British-Ameri-can difficulties.

BRITISH PROPOSALS TO ABYSSINIA.

(AUSTRALIAN AND K.Z. AND SUN CABLE.) (Received November 9th, 8.40 p.m.) LONDON. November 8. In the House of Commons, replying to questions as to whether it was the policy of the Government to take steps regarding the damming of the Nile, Sir Austen Chamberlain said: "We have made proposals to the Abyssinian Government to*this end, and these are at present the subject of negotiations."