DRAMATIC MOVE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22206, 5 September 1935, Page 11

DRAMATIC MOVE

OIL CONCESSION AMERICANS WITHDRAW ' ASSURANCE TO MINISTER By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Received September 4, 5.5 p.m.) WASHINGTON. Sept. 3 The Secretary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, announced to-day that as the result of discussions he had had with officials of the StandardVacuum Oil Company, they had informed him they would withdraw from tho concession to develop more than half of Ethiopia. Mr. Hull said that Mr. H. E. Dundas. vice-president of the company, and Mr. George S. Walden, chairman of the board, had informed the State Department that their corporation owned the concession granted to the African -Exploration and Development Company. After discussing the question with Mr. Wallace Murray, chief of the Near Eastern Division of the Department of State, the two officials conferred with Mr. Hull. He informed them he had told journalists that the granting of the concession at this time was a serious obstacle to the maintenance of peace and might have extremely serious repercussions. Messrs. Dundas and Walden returned to New York and late to-day informed Mr. Hull that after consultation with their associates they were prepared to terminate their part of the concession. Their representatives would inform the Emperor of Abyssinia that they did not desire to go forward with the concession. Mr. Hull said the first time he knew the Standard-Vacuum Oil Company was the owner of the concession was this morning when Messrs. Dundas and Walden conferred with him. The statement by Mr. Hull was incorporated in an explanation issued by Mr. Walden. Ho said: "This company and its predecessor have been engaged in the petroleum business in Ethiopia for more than 20 years and we are interested :in the possibilities of petroleum production there and in other countries. " Ethiopia would have received a royalty on all the commercial petroleum produced under the agreement, which provided for no payment or loan of money, mor had any been made." NEWS IN LONDON OFFICIALLY WELCOMED EMBARRASSMENT EASED (Received September 4, 9.15 p.m.) LONDON, Sept. 4 The dramatic news from Washington of the abandonment of the Ethiopian concession is welcomed in official circles and in the press ait removing an embarrassing complication from the Geneva discussions. The Ethiopian Legation at a late hoar had received no news of the cancellation. CHERTOK CONCESSION FIRST IN THE FIELD AREAS NOT YET DEFINED LONDON, Sept. 3 Messrs. Hitching and Jervis, civil engineers, and Mr. Leoy Chertok's London adviisers, disclose that British capitalists are interested in his concession in Abyssinia. They add that his group existed long before the present situation arose.

Dr. Martin, Abyssinian Minister in London, wrote to Mr. Chertok on July 19 confirming the option on offer for 50 1 years' mineral concessions in consideration of a 1,000,000-dollar loan, but the concessions will not be granted until the money is produced. The territories involved have yet to be defined, which means that Mr. Chertok's concession will not clash with Mr. Rickett's. A message from Addis Ababa says the Government officially states that it is fully entitled to grant the concession to Mr. Rickett and professes ignorance of the Chertok concession. According to a telegram from Washington the United States Secretary of State, Mr. Cordell Hull, says the concession granted by the Ethiopian Government to the African Exploration Development Corporation would play no part in the attitude of the United States toward the Italo-Ethiopian situation. CONFLICT OPPOSED NEW SOUTH WALES LABOUR LEADER'S DENUNCIATION (Received September 5, 12.15 a.m.) SYDNEY. Sept. 4 " Australia will never again offer her sons for slaughter in European wars," declared Mr. J. T. Lang, leader of the New South Wales Labour Party, in an address at an anti-war gathering in Sydney this evening. " At this very moment," Mr. Lang continued, " Mr. S. M. Bruce, at Geneva, is pledging the lives of at least 100,000 of the flower of Australian manhood for a second world war. He will find that Australians will repudiate that pledge. What is probable is that he will find himself recalled. " The Labour movement in Australia will have nothing to do with the coming war which, like its predecessor, will be purel.y a trade war —a war of plunder —in which Australia has nothing to gsiin and. everything to lose. " During tho past 10 years Britain has helpsd foreigners to steal the Australian markets. Children born 21 years ago now have a say in the government of. the country. I cannot see them making tho same mistake as their fathers did when, 21 years ago this month, they allowed Australia to become a belligerent iia the World War." Mr. Lang demanded the recall of the cruiser Australia from the Mediterranean Fleet lest she be drawn into conflict with Italy, and so involve Australia against her will. PRAYERS IN ABBEY INTERCESSION SERVICE Rritith Wireless RUGBY. Sept. 3 A special service of intercession will be held in Westminister Abbey this evening to ask for the Divine blessing on the meeting of the League Council and on all efforts £o prompt©-peace among the nutions.