Simon, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, replied on behalf of the Government' to the critic it John dealt with the contention Sir Herbert Samuel that it was unconstitutional for the Executive to bind the House of Commons in negotiating commercial treaties involving taxation for more than 12 months. "He cited instances to show that there was nothing new in. tndertaking a treaty which, bound parliament for a number of years regard to duties which might {be imposed upon particular kinds of solutely untrue that Ottawa Policy, the (Foreign Office had been visited to quite an unusual extent by representatives of different countries desiring to negotiate on trade matters. "He recalled the unavailing efforts of the late Labour statesman Mr. William Graham, who was a strong. Free Trader, to promote an international tariff truce, and said that they had failed because Brit quarters here are. speculating. on coming vis
the outcome of the journey, This is taken as indirectly" condrming the persistent rumours that Premier Herriot "is prepared to. make. a strong bid for Spanish. friendship and ce-operation, not only as rerards the interests of the two coun-in North Afsien ut also in relation to European politic There is a talk current here of Jan intended Military alliance which, fin the event of war, would enable Franco to use the Balearic Islands fas a naval base, According to another version, Herriot will try to. secure Spain's consent tothe establishment. of huge stores of arms and. ammunition in, Spain, these stores jurisdiction of the League of Nations, but. pra cally under that of France. "This latter proposal would, however, be contingent upon the proposed estab: fishment of an international. mille tary force under the League's con then had nothing, with which negotiate... As the result of the Ottawa agreements, Britain now had an opportunity such as she never had before of making bargains with
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.