§ Major GLYNasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any communication has been received from any foreign country in regard to the granting by the British Government of a concession for the reclamation of salts from the Dead Sea; if so, whether he has anything to add to his previous statements on this matter; and when is it intended that this concession shall be granted in fact, as it has been conceded in principle, to a British syndicate?
§ Mr. AMERYAs regards the first two parts of the question, I have nothing to add to the reply which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs gave on 13th February to the hon. and gallant Member for Chelmsford (Colonel Howard-Bury). As regards the48W last part of the question, I am not in a position to add to my previous statements on the subject.
§ Major GLYNasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what was the date when the first application was made to the Colonial Office for the necessary permission by certain British subjects to obtain leave to develop the salt deposits of the Dead Sea; whether the Government of Palestine have expressed their anxiety that this new source of revenue should be made effective; and what are the reasons for the delay in granting the concession?
§ Mr. AMERYAs I informed my hon. and gallant Friend on 15th December, 1927, the first person to approach His Majesty's Government, so far as I am aware, was Major Tulloch, in January, 1918. It was not possible to deal actively with the question until much later. Everyone concerned is anxious that the natural resources of the Dead Sea should be properly developed; but many points of detail have had to be discussed with the Palestine and Trans-Jordan Governments before any decision could be reached. The final observations of these Governments were not received until the end of January last.