§ 17 and 18. Mr. RHYS (for Major-General Sir JOHN DAVIDSON)asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, (1) whether the mandate for Tanganyika territory provides for the possible federation or unification of that territory with adjacent British Colonies and Protectorates; and whether the B mandates for British Togoland and British Cameroons contain any identical provisions or whether the latter are regarded internationally as integral parts of the Gold Coast and Nigeria respectively;
(2) whether the Treaty of Versailles provided for the cession of the former German colonies in Africa to the victorious allies or to the League of Nations; who conferred the mandate for Tanganyika territory on His Britannic Majesty; and when and whether the mandate provides for any possible transfer of such territory with or without the consent of the Powers who conferred the mandate?
§ Mr. AMERYUnder Article 119 of the Treaty of Versailles the former German territories in Africa were surrendered to the principal Allied and Associated Powers, who, in accordance with Article 22 of the Treaty agreed that mandates to administer these territories should be conferred upon the Government concerned; and proposed the terms in which the mandates should be formulated. Having arranged the allocation and delimitation of these territories as between themselves, the Governments concerned agreed to accept their respective Mandates and to exercise them on behalf of the League of Nations on the proposed terms, and the Mandates were then confirmed by the Council of the League. The Mandates do not contain 1406 any provision for transfer to another Power. Article 10 of the Tanganyika Mandate authorises the Mandatory to constitute the territory into a Customs, fiscal and administrative union or federation with adjacent territories under his own control, provided that the provisions of the Mandate are not infringed. No similar provision exists in the British mandates for Togoland and the Cameroons, which lay down that these areas shall be administered as integral parts of the Mandatory Power's neighbouring territories subject, of course, to the provisions of the Mandate. They are accordingly administered as integral parts of the Gold Coast and Nigeria respectively. The terms of the Mandates for Tanganyika territory, Cameroons and Togoland were confirmed by the Council of the League of Nations on 20th July, 1922, and were presented to Parliament in January, 1923, as Command Paper No. 1794.