The Lords on Colonies While the House of Commons was
debating the defence proposals on Wednesday the House of Lords was engaged in discussing an important motion by Lord Noel Buxton on the subject of colonies. The motion advocated the extension of the mandate system to British and other colonies, and also the extension (in area) of the operation of the Convention of St. Germain, which provides for complete free trade over a large part of Central Africa. Though this is a policy which will inevitably come increasingly under general discussion it found little favour on Wednesday. Lord Livrd, while pressing for the open door in all colonies, was strongly opposed to putting them under mandate, and Lord Plymouth, winding up for the Government, opposed equally the extension of the complete freedom of trade conferred by the Convention of St. Germain, holding that the Geneva enquiry into access to raw materials was the most hopeful line of advance. While many points of interest were raised in the course of the debate it will give little satisfaction to those who hold, with Lord Crewe, that the seizure of the German colonies was a political blunder, and who, while agreeing with him further that it does not follow that they can be handed back now, believe that some policy a little less barren than a flat negative must be evolved.
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