ATTITUDE TO APARTHEID

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29070, 5 December 1959, Page 4

ATTITUDE TO APARTHEID

Macmillan Resists Attacks (Special Correspondent ) LONDON, Dec. 2. During question time in the House of Commons the Prime Minister (Mr Macmillan) again resisted repeated attempts by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Gaitskell) and other Labour members to get from him a definite statement on his attitude to South Africa's policy of apartheid. In their various questions they suggested the Prime Minister should declare disagreement with racial discrimination during his tour next January of the African Commonwealth and Colonial territories.

Mr Macmillan, however maintained that private talks were not suitable subjects for public statements. Public statements about the policies of those countries would be more likely to disrupt the Commonwealth than o lead it forward to a greater said 6 f ° r international good, he

, ‘.’The information was small pot the pressure was high,” says the Guardian's” parliamentary correspondent, commenting on the exchanges. “One thing Mr Macmillan will not talk about these days is racial discrimination. Not <hat he will even talk about not talking about it. He is afraid, so he told his critics, of ‘injuring the stature of the Commonwealth’,” the correspondent said. “Weakening” Mr James Callaghan (Labour, Cardiff) claimed that the policy of apartheid was weakening the Commonwealth. He asked the Prime' Minister how he proposed to find out what other African countries thought about Mr Macmillan replied: “I can imagine nothing more wrong for me to answer than that question.” The Commonwealth, he said was composed of a number of selfgoverning countries. Mr Callaghan: Your visit to South Africa is in itself taking up a position about this subject. (Ministerial cries of “nonsense” and “no”.) “You will be forced at some stage to declare yourself in relation to these policies,” Mr Callaghan said. “If you declare yourself against apartheid you will be doing a great deal to strengthen the real bonds of the Commonwealth.” Mr Gaitskell said he thought Mr Macmillan should say he was prepared to talk to the Prime Minister of South Africa ana advise him to modify these policies. Mr Macmillan replied that .he British Government pursued the policies it thought right and tried to preach the doctrines it Ihought correct. But the Commonwealth was now a large institution, of many countries.