A DELICATE TASK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 973, 16 May 1930, Page 9

A DELICATE TASK

PLEASING EVERYBODY IN PALESTINE INQUIRY ON WAILING WALL British Official Wireless Reed. 1.5 p.m. RUGBY, Thursday. At a meeting of the Council of the League of Nations this morning Mr. Arthur Henderson. British Foreign Secretary, made a statement regarding the general situation in Palestine. He said the Council was aware that, the Commission of Inquiry into the disturbances of last August in Palestine had presented its report. That report would form the subject of discussion by the Permanent Mandates Commission. A full statement, would then he made by the accredited British representative, but he wished to be permitted to anticipate that statement, in certain respects of special interest to the members of the Council. On matters relating to the report, he would refer first to the primary duty of the mandatory, as of any Government, namely, the preservation of order. The British Government had increased the British military forces in Palestine. It had considered with its expert advisers the question of a garrison permanently required in that country, and pending a clear decision on this subject it did not propose to make any reduction in the present force.

PROTECTION ASSURED A highly-qualified police official. Mr. Dowbiggin, of Ceylon, was sent in January to consider the reorganisation of the police. His full report had not vet been received, but certain interim recommendations for the better protection of the Jewish colonies had been adopted, and were being put into force. The British section of the police had been increased by 400 men and a further increase of 79 men was now being made The Commission in its report had laid special emphasis on the problems relating to land and immigration, and the British Government had selected Sir John Hope Simpson to proceed forthwith to Palestine in order to confer with the High Commissioner and report on land settlement, immigration and development. Mr. Henderson then referred to the presence in England of the Arab delegation from Palestine, with whom discussion regarding the future policy in that country had taken place. ARAB ASPIRATIONS

It was enough to say of those discussions that they had placed the British Government in full possession of the views of the leading Arabs regarding the aspirations of the Arab community. The British Government was now engaged on an examination of tho problem of devising means within tho framework of the Mandate to satisfy legitimate aspirations and remove any apprehensions that might be entertained. Mr. Henderson added that he proposed to submit for the approval of the Council in private the names of three gentlemen who would be prepared to accept service on a Commission to deal with the dispute over the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. Those gentlemen were Messrs, Eliff Lofgren, former Swedish Foreign Minister, Charles Barde, former Swiss Judge, and F. Kerape, of Holland, formerly Governor of Sumatra.