Debate on Objections to the League of Nations London, Aug. 2.
In the House of Commons today the Opposition raised a debate in regard to the Notes recently exchanged between the British and Italian Governments affecting which evoked a protest Taffari, Regent of the League of Nations that Abyssinia had_not been consulted and was unable to accept the agreement embodied in the Notes. The Anglo-Itali rangement concerned British ul tion of the waters of Lake Tsar Abyssinia, for the irrigation the Soudan and the building of a motor road to the Soudan as against which she would not oppose the construction of Italian railways inking the Italian colonies of Eritrea and Somaliland through the West of Abyssinia.
Capt. Wedgwood Benn (Lib.) and Mr, Arthur Ponsonby (Labour) objected to this form of diplomacy.
'Sir Austen Chamberlain, the eign Secretary, replying, said that the Anglo-Italian Notes had not pretended to bind either Abyssinia or any other Government. 'The Notes had implied no attack on' Abyssinian independence or the exercise of coercion or pressure on Abyssinia, Abyssinia had a per fect right to grant any concessions she desired or not. The Foreig: Scerotary recalled that the construction of a barrage at Tsana was contemplated by the Emperor Menelik in 1902. These views, Sir Austen, said, had been elaborated in the British Note sent to the League in reply to Ras Taffari—
Reuter.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.