NAZI DEMANDS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 22 December 1938, Page 7

NAZI DEMANDS

MR 0. PIROW’S EUROPEAN TOUR QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS. VIEWS OF THE DOMINIONS WELL KNOWN. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, December 20. The Dominions Secretary, Mr Malcolm MacDonald, stated in an answer in the House of Commons today that when Mr Pirow, South African Minister of Defence, was in London he gave to a number of British Ministers an account of the impressions he gathered in Europe. Beyond certain talks on questions of trade communications, Mr Pirow’s conversations in Europe were informal and personal, and Mr MacDonald said he had no statement, to make upon them. Commander R. T. H. Fletcher (Labour): “May I ask whether, in the course of these conversations with the British Government, any discrepancy was discovered between the views of the British Government and the Union Government regarding the cession of mandated territories to Germany?” Mr MacDonald: “Obviously I cannot report the upshot of private personal conversations, but there will be an answer later on the attitude of the Dominion Governments to cession of territories.”

Commander Fletcher: “Was anything detrimental to British trading interests revealed as a result of conversations between Mr Pirow and members of foreign Governments?” Mr MacDonald: “ Not that I am aware of.”

Mr Arthur Henderson (Labour): “May the House take it that the British Government does not share the pessimistic outlook of Mr Pirow regarding the possibility of war in the spring?” Mr MacDonald: “The attitude of the British Government has been very faithfully stated by Mr Chamberlain and other Ministers.” In the answer on cession of territories to which he referred above. 'Mr MacDonald said that recent statements in the House had related to questions of the transfer of territories under the administration of the British Government. Consultation with the Dominions had not, therefore, been necessary.

The general views of the Dominion Governments on the question of the future of mandated territories under their administration were well known. Mr G. L. M. Mander (Liberal) asked if he might take it that the views of the Dominion Governments were the same as those of the United Kingdom concerning the movement regarding the cession of mandated territories. Mr MacDonald: “I have no reason to suppose that they differ in any way.”