THE SLAVE TRADE

Evening Star, Issue 22084, 18 July 1935, Page 9

THE SLAVE TRADE

DISCUSSED BY HOUSE OF LORDS TRIBUTES TO BRITAIN (British Official" Wireless.) Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright RUGBY, July 17. (Received July 18, at noon.) The subject 'of slavery was discussed in the House of Lords in connection with the recent report of the Slavery Committee of the League of . Nations. Lord Cecil and the Archbishop of Canterbury paid tributes to the work of British Governments for the last 100 years, and since the war at Geneva in support of the movement for the suppression of slavery. The Archbishop complained of the need for more information from certain areas, and advocated a special agreement regarding traffic in slaves in territories around the Red Sea and other places. With regard to Abyssinia, he said it was only fair to, recognise that the Emperor was trying to suppress slavery there in spite of the difficulties.

Lord Buxton and Lord, Pol worth spoke to the same effect in remembering their personal experiences in Abyssinia.

Replying to the debate, Lord Stanhope said the Government was anxious to increase the influence and power of the League’s Slavery Committee. It would give to its work the fullest possible support With regard to the Red Sea traffic, he claimed that preventive measures, in which the British forces took part, had reduced the big stream of slavery. HALF A MILLION SLAVES LONDON, July 17. (Received July 18, at 1 ip.m.) In the House of Lords slavery debate Lord Polwarth said that the Emperor told him and Lord - Buxton in 1932 that slavery would be extinct in 12, certainly 20, years. His own people gave the number of slaves at between 500,000 and 600,000. Accepting the official figure of 3,643 slaves liberated in the past year, it was clear that it would be a long time at that rate before slavery was extinct.

Lord Stanhope said that the idea of a convention of Powers round the Red Sea was receiving attention. Captain Eden’s recommendation that a special meeting of the League Committee on Slavery should be held in 1936 would be considered hy the Assembly in September.