§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKS(Private Notice) asked the Prime Minister whether he will place immediately on the Table of the House a copy of the draft Mandate for Mesopotamia, and whether he will undertake not to submit it to the League of Nations until it has been approved by this House?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe Treaty lays it down that all Mandates are to be first submitted to the League of Nations, and the Government intend to carry out the conditions of the Treaty. The answer to both parts of the question is, therefore, in the negative.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSDoes the right hon. Gentleman really mean that the Government is possibly going to commit this House and the country to the vast expenditure occasioned by the Mandate without any authority from this House to do so?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThe hon. Baronet surely forgets that we have already committed the House to possible expenditure by accepting the Mandate. The terms of the Mandate are not so important as the acceptance.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSMay I ask my right hon. Friend whether the terms of the Mandate may not make the whole difference between an expenditure of £5,000,000 and a much larger sum, and whether we may not at all events have a copy of the Mandate placed on the Table of the House, as it has not yet been officially published in this country?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI am informed by the Foreign Office that the conditions of the Treaty provide that Mandates shall first be submitted to the League of Nations before they are published anywhere. I think it is pretty obvious that if every Parliament interested is to have a discussion on every possible Mandate to be submitted to the League of Nations, you might as well close down the League of Nations.
§ Lord R. CECILIs it not a fact that this mandate for Mesopotamia has been already submitted to the Council of the League, and was laid before the Council at Geneva, so that there is no reason in the world under this Covenant, which I 98 hold in my hand, why it should not be submitted to this House?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWThat is not my understanding of the point. My understanding of the terms of the Treaty is that Mandates shall first be considered by the League of Nations before being made public. I am not myself perfectly familiar with all the terms of the Treaty, and I will look into that again.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSAssuming that the Mandate is submitted to the League of Nations, and they approve of it in all its details, will this House then have the same financial responsibility, with power to revoke any portion of it that they may desire to revoke?
§ Mr. MacVEAGHThis House does not matter!
§ Mr. BONAR LAWIf that doctrine were to be adopted in regard to the League of Nations, it really would mean that the League of Nations could not carry on its functions. Obviously every subject cannot be discussed by every Parliament.
§ Mr. G. BARNESIt is not quite consistent with the Treaty that the Mandate should be discussed by this House with a view to giving instructions to our delegates on the Council of the League of Nations; and if that is not done, is it not a fact that we are committed to expenditure, seeing that after it has passed the Council we cannot modify it?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWIt must be obvious to the House that if in every case of this kind there is first to be a discussion in all the Parliaments, it would be impossible to carry through the business at all. I have already said to my hon. Friend that I will make myself familiar with the terms of the Treaty and will look into it again and see if it is possible to publish the Mandate.
§ Sir D. MACLEANIn view of the importance of this matter, may I ask my right hon. Friend if he will reconsider the point with a view to allowing the House of Commons—which, after all, has to find the money—an opportunity of discussing it, so that, when it has discussed the matter, it will be able to give not only its financial but its moral support to the proposals of the Government?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI have already said that I will reconsider whether or not we should publish it. Obviously when that is done the other question can be considered also.
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREWill the right hon. Gentleman also take into consideration the fact that the Assembly of the League asked for publication of this document, and that it was only owing to the initiative of the British delegates that publication was refused; is he aware that this Mesopotamia Mandate was given by the American Government to the "Philadelphia Ledger"? It has now been published, and why should not this House, the sovereign body, have some say in the expenditure? Further, is it not the fact that no consultation took place with regard to that draft with Prince Feisal before it was submitted to the Council?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWI cannot reply to the last part of the question. As regards the first, I am aware that there were differences of opinion in the Council of the League of Nations as to the desirability of publication. The publication by the "Philadelphia Ledger" was, I believe, unauthorised, and that in itself would not be any reason for our publishing it.
§ Sir W. JOYNSON-HICKSMay I put this question again to-morrow? The Mandate comes before the League of Nations on the 21st, and I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be able to give me an answer to-morrow.
§ Earl WINTERTONWill not the right hon. Gentleman give way to the general feeling in all quarters of the House that there should be a discussion?
§ Mr. BONAR LAWWhat I have said is based on information given to me as to the terms of the Treaty. I must certainly have that established before I can say anything more.