BRITAIN’S POLICY

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 225, 19 June 1936, Page 11

BRITAIN’S POLICY

Transfer of South African

Protectorates

(British Officln) Wireices.)

Rugby, June 17. The position of the South African protectorates was the subject of a Parliamentary reply to-day by the Undersecretary for the Dominions. Lord Hartington recalled an aide memoir© published after conversations between the Dominions Secretary and tiie Prime Minister of the Union last year which stated that the policy of the United Kingdom Government and the Union Government for the next few years should be directed to bringing about a situation in which, if transfer were to become a matter of practical politics, it. could be effected with the full acquiescence of the populations concerned. “This still represents tiie policy of the Government here,” lie added, “and I have nothing to add to that statement.”

A cable dated June 13 stated that the “Morning Post's” political correspondent said that Government circles were surprised by an announcement of General Hertzog, Prime Minister of South Africa, that the Union would probably take over the administration of Swaziland in two years’ time, and of Basutoland and B-echuannland soon after. It was eniphatically pointed out that there was no warrant for any such assumption, as the two principal conditions of transfer laia down in the South Africa Act still remain to be fulfilled— namely, a transfer shall occur onlv with the consent of the native populations of the protectorates and the consent of Parliament.