MANDATED TERRITORIES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22406, 30 April 1936, Page 11

MANDATED TERRITORIES

MR. BALDWIN'S STATEMENT CONSERVATIVES DISSATISFIED LONDON, April 28 The political correspondent of the Morning Post states that the statement of the Prime Minister, Mr. Baldwin, regarding mandated territories was received with mixed feelings in Parliamentary circles. The majority of the back-bench Conservatives want the Government uncompromisingly to refuse to consider demands for transfer. They believe the Government is showing a lamentable lack of understanding of the mentality of the Germans, who will not cease their propaganda until they are told firmly that the doors are closed. COLONIAL POSSESSIONS ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES TENDENCY TO EXAGGERATE LONDON, April 28 The Royal Institute of International Affairs has issued an exhaustive statistical survey seeking to determine how far the economic difficulties of Italy, Germany and Japan are due to lack of colonial possessions. Convincing figures, relating to the distribution of essential raw materials, show that these Powers "consciously or unconsciously, tend to overstate the economic advantages of colonial changes." The report adds: "Colonies relieve Britain of a deficiency of only nine out of 34 basic raw materials. If another Power annexed the whole of the British Colonial Empire, apart from the Dominions, it would still have inadequate supplies of raw materials, including several of the most important. "The German Colonial Research Bureau's claim that Tanganyika will support 9,000,000 people, coupled with Italy's similar claims as to the numbers which Abyssinia would support, should be scrutinised in- the light of the fact that the whole of Africa after decades of colonisation contains only 3,000,000 Europeans. "Other statistics show that there is little discrimination in favour of mother countries. On the contrary, the principle of open access is fairly generally observed."