§ 24. Sir ELLIS HUME-WILLIAMSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he will state what is the number of French troops at present stationed in the Saar Valley; what is the present strength of the local gendarmerie; what steps are being taken to develop this body; and whether the British representative on the League of Nations Council will be instructed to press for the complete withdrawal of French troops from the territory?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe latest information in the possession of His Majesty's Government is that there are 233 French officers and 5,409 other ranks at present in the Saar. The strength of the local gendarmerie is given as 355, and a programme for their progressive annual increase will come before the Council of the League at their meeting which opens on 10th March. As regards the last part of the question, I cannot be more specific than this at the present moment, that His Majesty's Government are most 961 anxious that the terms of the Treaty should be strictly carried out as soon as possible, but there are alleged to be certain financial difficulties in the immediate organisation of an adequate gendarmerie force.
§ 25. Sir E. HUME-WILLIAMSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the British representative on the Council of the League of Nations will endeavour to secure that the Saarois member of the Governing Commission of the Saar, appointed by the League of Nations Council, is a person enjoying the confidence of the population; and whether the popularly-elected Advisory Council in the Saar will be invited to submit suitable names?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe British representative will make every endeavour to secure the appointment of a suitable Saar member of the Governing Commission and one who is acceptable to the local population; indeed, the representative of His Majesty's late Government has already put this point of view clearly on record in a memorandum circulated to the other members of the Council prior to the Council meeting in December last. It is not the practice of the Council to invite the Advisory Council in the Saar to submit suitable names, and there are objections to departing from the present practice at the coming election.
§ 55. Brigadier-General SPEARSasked the Prime Minister whether, in view of the Council meeting of the League of Nations, which is to be held in March, and the discussion which will take place at that meeting on the question of the Saar, he will state whether the Government will advocate and support measures for giving a more definitely international character to the Government of the Saar; and if he will instruct the British representative to urge the desirability of an early reduction in the French military garrison?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the replies I have made to-day to the hon. and learned Member for Bassetlaw (Sir E. Hume-Williams). The principle of maintaining the international character of the Government of the Saar will, of course, be borne in mind by the British representative on the Council of the League.
§ Brigadier-General SPEARSIs the Prime Minister aware that the administrative Government of the Saar consists of 40 people, appointed by the League of Nations, 32 of whom are French?