§ 46. Mr. Sorensenasked the Prime Minister whether the recent speech of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs signifying the intention of His Majesty's Government to secure the application of the mandates system to the whole of our Colonial Empire, represents the policy of the Government; whether this intention will be notified to the League of Nations, and whether he will invite other powers to accept this principle?
§ The Prime MinisterThe words used by my Noble Friend are not correctly repeated in the question. The statement of the Foreign Secretary was that we should be ready in the conduct of our Colonial administration
to go far upon the economic side, as we have already done on the political side, in making wider application of the principles which now obtain in the Mandated Territories.My Noble Friend's suggestion was, however, expressly made conditional upon the attainment of a fundamental agreement with other nations as to the methods and aims of Colonial administration, and this is clearly a prerequisite of the sort of action suggested.
§ Mr. SorensenWill the right hon. Gentleman not agree that his Noble Friend's statement was open to the implication mentioned in my question, and may I further ask whether we are to take it now that His Majesty's Government repudiate the whole question of enlarging the principle of the mandates system to cover our Colonial Empire?
§ The Prime MinisterIn reply to the first part of the supplementary question, I must deprecate the practice of any hon. Member putting his own interpretation upon other people's words and then stating them as if they were the words used. In reply to the second part of the supplementary question, the answer is in the negative.
§ Mr. SorensenDoes not the right hon. Gentleman agree that the words of his Noble Friend were so ambiguous that they were liable to a variety of interpretations?
§ The Prime Minister indicated dissent.