EMPIRE MANDATES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23227, 22 December 1938, Page 11

EMPIRE MANDATES

FIRE OF QUESTIONS MR. 0. PIROW'S TOUR VIEWS OF DOMINIONS MB. MACDONALD'S REPLIES! By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright (Received December 21. 6.5 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Dec. 20,. Answering question's in the House of Commons to-day the Dominions Secretary, Mr. Malcolm Mac Donald, said that when the South African Minister of Defence, Mr. O. Pirow, was in London, he gave a number of British Ministers an account of the impressions he had gathered in Europe, and these had been discussed with him. Beyond certain talks on questions of trade and communications Mr. Pirow's conversations in Europe were informal and personal, and Mr. Mac Donald said he had no statement to make upon them. Lieutenant-Commander R. T. H. Fletcher (Labour —Nuneaton): May I ask whether, in the course-of these conversations with the British Government any discrepancy was discovered between the views of Britain and the Union Government regarding the cession of mandated territories to Germany? Private Conversations Mr. Mac Donald: Obviously I cannot report the upshot of private and personal conversations, but there will be an answer later on the attitude of the Dominion Governments to the cession of territories.

Lieutenant-Commander Fletcher: Was anything detrimental to British trading interests revealed as the result of conversations between Mr. Pirow and members of foreign Governments? Mr. Mac Donald: Not that I am aware of. Mr. Arthur Henderson (Labour — Kingswinford): May the House take it that the British Government does not share the pessimistic outlook of Mr. Pirow regarding the possibility of war in the spring? Mr. Mac Donald: The attitude of Britain has been very faithfully stated by Mr. Chamberlain and other Ministers. Consultation Hot Necessary In the answer on the cession of territories to which he referred above, Mr. Mac Donald said recent statements in the House had related to questions regarding the transfer of territories under the administration of the British Government. Consultation with the Dominions had not, therefore, been necessary. The general views of th 9 Dominion Governments on the question of the future of mandated territories under their administration were well known. >. Mr. G. L. Mander (Labour—Wolverhampton) asked if he might take it that the views of the Dominion governments were the same as those of the United Kingdom Government regarding the cession of mandated territories. Mr. Mac Donald: I have no reason to suppose they differ in any way. Defence of South Africa Mr. Mac Donald was also asked whether opportunity had been taken of Mr. Pirow'e recent visit to London to consider the adequacy of the arrangements for the naval defence of South Africa in time of war. He said the object of Mr. Pirow's visit was to d'scuss certain technical aspects of the Defence of South Africa, including naval ■ defence. The questions were settled as ■ the result of the discussions, but as to details, the Minister could not aniici-

pate any statement Mr. Pi row mieht make after his return to South Africa, since that was a matter for the Union Government. Mr. Mac Donald added that Mr. Pirow had recently announced very considerable expenditure regarding defence, and a good deal of the inoiiyLV involved was in relation to naval defence.