No substantial oil resources have been proven to exist in Palestine, the Earl of Plymouth, Under Secretary of State for Colonies, told Viscount Templetown, pro-Arab peer, who urged the government to institute strict control over Palestinian and Transjordanian oil deposits.
Lord Plymouth informed the House of Lords that the government was following a policy of allowing private development of natural resources with adequate safeguards embodied in the mining legislation, in addition to carefully watching events.
He declared that the government controlled all developments since no one could prospect for oil without a government license and anyone finding oil was compelled to pay a royalty to the government.
According to Lord Plymouth, the British government intends to study the question of how oil resources in Palestine and Transjordania might in an emergency be used in the interest of the terrorists concerned.
In the House of Commons a sharp verbal exchange took place between Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister and Colonel Josiah Wedgwood, independent member, when the latter asked the Colonial Secretary for the exact number of Jews convicted of murdering other Jews in Palestine in the last ten years.
UNABLE TO FURNISH FIGURES
Sir Philip declared he was unable to furnish the figures, since Palestine crime statistics do not specify race, and he doubted the desirability of doing so.
Colonel Wedgwood declared that in view of the Stavsky case, in which the young Revisionist Zionist was convicted of killing Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff, it was essential to make it clear that murders never occurred in Palestine as between Jews.
Sir Philip rebuked Colonel Wedgwood for his statement, claiming his remarks constituted an improper attempt to prejudice a case now before an appeal court.
Another member, D. J. B. Joel, Conservative, asked whether the Palestine tourist business had been adversely affected by the sixty-pound deposit required of all tourists before they receive a visa. He asked the Colonial Secretary if the government had any intention of revising tourist regulations.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
