THE DEAD SEA SALTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20287, 21 December 1927, Page 9

THE DEAD SEA SALTS

GRANTING OF .CONCESSION

INDEPENDENT CAPITALS

(British Official Wireless.)

(Pres» Association—By Telegraph-Copyright J RUGBY, December 19. In the House of Commons the Undersecretary for Colonies w’as asked whether, in view of the great value and the extensive interests concerned in the Dead Sea concession, the Government would take measures for forming an independent British company on the lines of a chartered company for working out this concession. M r Ormsby-Gore replied that, In view of the merits of the mandate for Palestine and the Covenant of the League of Nations, it was not practicable to adopt the suggestion. Asked whether there was any possibility of the Dead Sea salts being handed over to German interests, Mr Ormsby-Gore replied that in the negotiations an endeavour was being mac! e to arrange that any concessionaries selling outside Palestine should not enter into an agreement with any one of the three big monopolies without the concurrence of the Government ; hut it was very difficult to sell an article of that kind in the world’s market without some form of an agreement with the existing organisations. Asked if the concessionaries were not supported almost entirely by British capital, Mr Ormsby-Gore said that he undorstood that they were supported by quite independent capital not in any way connected with any of the present potash concerns.

A further question was put as to when Mr Novomcyskv formally' applied for the concession, and what wore his qualifications, Mr Onnsby-Goi’o replied that Mr Novomcyskv made his first formal application to the High Commissioner for Palestine, who reported it to the Colonial Secretary in July. 1921. The High Com mis. sioncr also reported that Mr Novomeysky had, since 1911. been working on the question of the extraction of salts from the waters of th e Dead Sea. He understood that Mr 'Novomeysky was a member of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, as well as being scientifically qualified.

Asked if Mr Novoineysky had over been an official in Soviet Russia, Mr OrmsbyGore answered that he was not even aware that Mr Novomcyskv had any Russian connections whatever. He understood that his parents were Polish, hut he was a Palestinian, and he was not aware that he had any connections with Russia since he went to Palestine.