A special bill will have to be passed by the House of Commons before the Palestine development scheme, details of which were announced today in Jerusalem and London, can be put into effect in order to guarantee the loan of $12,500,000 which will finance the scheme. This became clear today from questions and answers exchanged in the House of Commons between Ormsby Gore, M.P., and Dr. Drummond Shiels, under-secretary of state for the Colonies, after the latter had given the details of the scheme to the House of Commons.
This means that Parliament will be given an opportunity to debate the scheme. When Michael Marcus, Labor M.P., pointed out that the scheme which was to be published in Palestine on July 9 had been temporarily suspended and asked whether the government still intended to submit the scheme to Parliament before proceeding with it, Dr. Shiels at first avoided answering the latter part of the query. Later, however, it became clear that only when the director of develoment has submitted his report would an opportunity be given for a parliamentary debate.
Ormsby Gore further inquired whether the development scheme embodies any changes in policy other than those outlined in Premier MacDonald’s letter to Dr. Weizmann. Dr. Shiels assured Gore that the statement is fairly consistent with the documents issued in that connection.
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