RETURN OF COLONIES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 398, 3 April 1937, Page 3

RETURN OF COLONIES

“STARTLING SPEECH.” Ribbentrop Rebuked. A sharp retort to Herr von_Ribbentrop’s speech in Leipzig demanding the return of German colonies was made in Leeds by Sir Robert Horne, M.P., former Chancellor of the Exchequer, says the London Telegraph. Sir Robert, who was speaking at a Joseph Chamberlain centenary meeting, rebuked the Ambassador for abusing his high diplomatic office in indulging in political polemics in public. “I think,” he said, "that no such startling incident has occurred before in diplomatic circles as the fact that Herr yon Ribbentrop, the accredited German Ambassador to this country, went to -L'ipzig and made a speech tojhe German people in which he was qfade the spokesman for the demand teat colonies should be restored. “That an Ambassador should leave his office and return to his native country for the purpose of making that claim is quite unexampled. It is a method which I hope will never be repeated.

“If it were intended to persuade us to be acquiescent in the demand, then all I ean say is.- it is the last way in Which British people would be likely to be persuaded.” His Altitude. ■ The de-.nand for the return of the j German colonies was put on several grounds, continued Sir Robert. First, that withe ut these colonies Germany was being denied necessary raw materials; secondly, that she had no colonial markets for her goods; and, thirdly, that she had no territory for her surplus population. Facts proved, however, that all those so-oal ed reasons were without any foundation in fact. “For my jart,” said Sir Robert, “I am not anxious, that falsification of history should be encouraged by any concession v.'e can make on the subject. “It was put prominently before the statesmen who assembled at Versail les when the Peace Treaty was drawn up that the world would be saf r if Germany was not allotted to return to these particular territories. I think that that opinion is. still well justified. “So far as I am concerned, I do not think that the adn inistration of these great erriories would be benefied by a change form a democratic regime to a Nazi regime, and I am convinced that the interests o T the natives of i*iose territories whl be better served under our control than that of any other country in the world.”