REQUEST FROM U.N. OPPOSED

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5309, 23 January 1947, Page 5

REQUEST FROM U.N. OPPOSED

■ ( Press, Assn.

STH. AFRICAN ATTITUDE IMPROVING POSITION OF INDIANS IN UNIQN

— Rec. 9.80 p.m.)

CAP32TOWN, Jan. 22. In the South African Parliament, Field-Marshal J. C. Smuts has criticised the resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly calling1 on South Africa to negotiate with India to improve the positions of Indians in the Union. He was replying to a debate raised by the Leader of the Opposition, which urged the rejeetion o-f this United. Nations' request, described as direet interference in South African domestic afifairs. Field-Marshal Smuts said that the United Nations had made a decision which would pfove far reaehing. It would create chaos if a minority group in a country was to have a purely domestic question brought before the United Nations. He said that the latest act governing the position of Indians in the Union must stand. Legislation such as this was absolutely essential if Durban was not to bercome a second Bombay. "This is the Act that Indians have cc-mplained about as discriminatin'g against them," he said. Field-Marshal Smuts also stated that his Government would not submit any draft trusteeship agreement about South- West Africa. They were, however, prepared to report to the United Nations on the administration of this former German territory and •make so-me provisions on minor points so long as it -did not come under trusteeship.