MR PIROW'S VISIT TO EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22591, 22 December 1938, Page 9

MR PIROW'S VISIT TO EUROPE

QUESTIONS IN HOUSE OF

COMMONS

DOMINION VIEWS ON FOREIGN POLICY

(BRITISH OFFICIAL WIRELESS.) RUGBY, December 20. The Dominions Secretary (Mr' Malcolm Mac Donald), in an answer in the House of Commons, stated that when the South African Minister for Defence (Mr O. Pirow) was in London he gave a number of British Ministers an account of the impressions he had gathered in Europe, and these were discussed with him. Beyond certain talks on questions of trade communications, Mr Pirow's conversations in Europe were informal and personal, and Mr Mac Donald said he had no statement to make upon them. Lieutenant-Commander R. T. Fletcher (Labour): May I ask whether, during these conversations with the British Government, any discrepancy was discovered between the views of Britain and the Union Government regarding the cession of mandated territories to Germany? Mr Mac Donald: Obviously I cannot report the upshot of private personal conversations, b-it there will be an answer later on the attitude ofthe Dominion Governments to the cession of territories.

Lieutenant-Commander Fletcher: Was anything detrimcnlal to British trading interests revealed as a result of the conversations between Mr Pirow «nd members of the foreign Governments?

Mr Mac Donald: Not that I am aware of.

Mr Arthur Henderson (Labour): May the House take it that the British Government does not share the pessimistic outlook of Mr Pirow regarding the possibility of war in the spring? Mr Mac Donald: The attitude of Britain has been very faithfully stated by Mr Chamberlain and other Ministers.

Cession of Territories

In an answer on the cession of territories to which he had referred previously, Mr Mac Donald said that recent statements in the House related to questions of the transfer of territories under the administration of the British Government. Consultation with the Dominions had not therefore been necessary. The general views of the Dominion Governments on the question of the future of the mandated territories under their administration were well known.

Mr Geoffrey Mander (Liberal) asked if he might take it that the views of the Dominion Governments were the-same as those of the United Kingdom on the movement regarding the cession of mandated territories.

Mr Mac Donald: I have no reason to suppose that they differ in any way. Mr Mac Donald was asked whether opportunity was taken of Mr Pirow's visit to consider the adequacy of arrangements for the naval defence of South Africa in time of war. He said the object of Mr Pirow's visit was to discuss certain technical aspects of the defence of JSouth Africa, including naval defence. These questions were settled as a result of the discussions, but as to the details he could not anticipate any statement which Mr Pirow might make after his return to South Africa, since that was a matter for the Union Government. Mr Mac Donald added that the Union Minister for Defence recently announced a very considerable expenditure for defence, and a good deal of the money involved was earmarked for naval defence.