MR. PIROW'S TOUR

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 125, 23 November 1938, Page 11

MR. PIROW'S TOUR

AUTHORITY IN BERLIN

QUESTIONS IN COMMONS

COLONIES ISSUE

(British Official Wireless.)

(Received November 23, 1 p.m.)

RUGBY, November 22.

A recent answer in the House of Commons in -which the Secretary for the Dominions, Mr. Malcolm MacDonald said that the object of the recent visit of the South African Defence Minister, Mr. O. Pirow, was to discuss with the appropriate British1' authorities certain technical aspects of the defence problem of South Africa, and those discussions having taken place and the questions involved having been settled, Mr. Pirow had left for the Continent but would return to England for a short time before sailing, for South Africa, gave rise to several supplementary questions. Mr. Arthur Henderson (Labour) asked: "May we take it, that Mr. Pirow, when in London, was not authorised by Britain to commit it in any conversations" he may have with Germany in resect to the German colonial claims?"

Mr. Macdonald replied: ".Yes."

Asked whether among other objects of the visit one had been to discuss with Britain the German colonial claims Mr. Mac Donald said, "Naturally when a distinguished statesman from the Dominions comes here we take the opportunity to discuss informally all sorts of international questions. Beyond that and beyond visits for an official purpose no significance attaches to it.",

Captain Wedgewood Benn (Labour) asked: "Do we understand that neither directly nor indirectly has Mr. Pirow expressed the views of Britain in BerIin?" Mr. Mac Donald replied, "That is the position."