OIL FROM INDIES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 24 October 1940, Page 6

OIL FROM INDIES

4 QUESTIONS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS REGARDING CURRENT NEGOTIATIONS STATEMENT BY MR BUTLER. THREAT BY JAPANESE PAPER. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 12.15 p.m.) LONDON, October 23. Replying to a question in the House of Commons, Mr R. A. Butler (Uhder-Secretary for Foreign Affairs) said: "Any decision of a general character concerning the supply of oil to Japan from the Dutch Indies rests with the Dutch Indies Government. It is understood that no agreement has yet been reached.” Numerous supplementary questions followed, including:— “Will Britain use all her influence to prevent the completion of the deal?” “Does the Government wish the world to understand that the last word comes from the Dutch?” “What about the United States embargo?” Mr Butler replied that there was complete co-operation between Britain, the United States and the Netherlands in this matter. A Tokio message says that, despite official denials of a hitch in the Japan-ese-Dutch Indies negotiations, the Japanese Press regards the outcome as unsatisfactory. The newspaper “Asahi Shimbun’ says: "To bring the Dutch Indies to our side, we must either show them that it is against Dutch interests to rely on England and the United States, or resort to armed force to make them comply-” ______