There will be “another arbitrary period” in pales tine immigration, the House of Commons was told yesterday in the course of the flare-up precipitated by a vote on supplementary estimates of $2,115,000 for pales tine defense.
Replying to a question on whether the present policy, under which the immigration quota for Jews in the eight-month period ending March 31 was 1,000 monthly, would be continued, Colonial Secretary William Ormsby-Gore said: “We adopted a purely arbitrary measure. There will have to be another arbitrary period. I shall announce in due course what is decided, but that has not yet been decided.”
Yesterday’s debate was featured by a sharp clash between Mr. Ormsby-Gore and Col. Josiah Wedgwood, Laborite, who attacked the Government for allegedly failing to give the military forces in Palestine the authority and the power to pacify the country and for not using 40,000 Jews capable of bearing arms. Col. Wedgwood charged the Government was changing its policy, seeking a form of partition not acceptable by Zionists, and demanded carrying out of the mandate.
Mr. Ormsby-Gore replied with a bitter attack against col. Wedgwood, accusing him of making the Government’s task in Palestine more difficult. He asserted the Government stands where it stood last july on the question of partition, believing in it and determined to see it through but refusing to be rushed.
Foreign Secretary Viscount Halifax gave an audience today to Dr. Chaim Weizmann, president of the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency for Palestine.
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