§ 17. Colonel HOWARD-BURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will inform the House whether any applicant for the Dead Sea concession has offered to merge his interests with those of other applicants, with a view to forming the nucleus of a group for developing the concession?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThere were discussions in 1926 between certain of the applicants with a view to combining interests, but the applications subsequently submitted were made on behalf of individual groups and not on behalf of any combine of groups.
§ 18. Colonel HOWARD-BURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the great value and extensive interests concerned in the Dead Sea concession, the Government will take measures for forming an independent British company on the lines of a chartered company for working out this concession in furtherance of Empire interests under adequate British control?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREIn view of the terms of the mandate, it is not practicable to adopt the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs there any reason to suppose that the concession as worked by the concessionnaires will not be in the interests of our industry?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI see no reason why any concession which we are likely to grant as a result of the negotiations which are going, on is at all likely to be inimical to the Empire.
§ Colonel HOWARD-BURYIs the right hon. Gentleman seeing that German interests are not brought into this concession?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe German interests have absolutely nothing to do with it.
§ 20. Captain FOXCROFTasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give the name of the group on whose behalf Major Tulloch and Mr. Novomeysky are working; whether this group is connected with any German company or companies; and, if so, what company or companies?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI would refer my hon. and gallant Friend to the answer I gave on 12th December to the hon. and gallant Member for Chelmsford (Colonel Howard-Bury). I have nothing to add to it.
§ Captain FOXCROFTDoes the right hon. Gentleman think there is any danger of these Dead Sea salts being handed over to a German monopoly?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREAs I have stated in reply to a good many questions, we are endeavouring in the negotiations to arrange that any concessionnaire selling outside Palestine shall not enter into an agreement with any one of the three big monopolies without the concurrence of the Government. Of course, it is very difficult to sell an article of this kind in the world markets except by some form of agreement with existing organisations.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs it not a fact that Major Tulloch and Mr. Novomeysky are supported by British capital almost entirely?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI understand they are supported by independent capital that is in no way connected with any of the existing chemical industries or potash owners or potash sellers.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYAnd British?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREYes.
§ 21. Colonel HOWARD-BURYasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will inform the House as to the date when Mr. Novomeysky formally applied, with a fully-worked-out scheme, for the Dead Sea concession; and from what recognised engineering or chemical corporate bodies Mr. Novomeysky holds the usual form of recognition?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREMr. Novomeysky's first formal application was made to the High Commissioner, who reported its receipt to the Secretary of State in July, 1921. The High Commissioner also reported that Mr. Novomeysky had, since 1911, been working on the question of the extraction of salts from the Dead Sea. As regards the latter part of the question, I understand that Mr. Novomeysky is a member of the Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
§ Colonel HOWARD-BURYCan the right hon. Gentleman say whether Mr. Novomeysky was ever an official of the Soviet Government?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI am not even aware that he had any Russian connections whatever. I understand that his parents were of Polish-Jewish origin, but he is a Palestinian, and I am not aware that he has had any Russian connections since he went to Palestine.