RECRUITS FOR SAAR

Taranaki Daily News, 14 November 1934, Page 5

RECRUITS FOR SAAR

WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY? MR. MACDONALD REPLIES ADVICE FROM THE LEAGUE DENTAL OF ANY SECRECY British Wireless. Rugby, Nov; 12. Asked in the House of Commons whether British ex-officers were being recruited as police officers for the Saar,, and if so on whose responsibility the recruitment was taking place, and whether it was being done with the sanction of the. Government, the Prime Minister, Mr. Ramsay MacDonald, said that the position was that acting under a resolution adopted by the League of Nations Council on June 4 the Secretary-General of the League, M. Avenol, recommended members of the League on September 3 to facilitate the task of the Saar Governing Commission in recruiting additional personnel outside the Saar for, its police force during the plebiscite.- period. In 'response to this recommendation a number of applications for employment were received from ex-officers and were forwarded to the Saar Governing Commission after a preliminary inquiry on certain particular points such as previous -police experience and ability, to. speak German and French,, the, intention being to eliminate useless, applications. Replying to further questions Mr. MacDonald said that suggestions that, the recruitment was being conducted secretly by either the Foreign Office or the War Office were absolutely untrue. The figures given him were not, he believed, the. latest but they showed that of about 20 ex-officers recruited only two were, of British nationality, the rest being from other countries.