Letters and Papers Concerning the Trans-Persian Railway and Other Railways in Persia [‎165r] (329/442)

2019 Supply (Committee).
Foreign Office. 2020
10 July 1912
the effect the Alliance has had that the
fact that the enormous changes in the
Chinese Empire have been carried out
without either international complications
has been largely due to the Anglo-
Japanese Alliance. With regard to the
abandonment of the Mediterranean one
cannot overlook the fact that that sea is
on the route of our main road to Egypt
and India, and that we are bound
to safeguard that route adequately. The
Foreign Secretary told us that there was
no question of abandonment, and, per
sonally, I welcomed that statement, and I
am looking forward with hope that a satis
factory An East India Company trading post. and more enlarged and detailed
statement will be made when we hawe the
Navy Estimates before us. British in
terests do not now seem to be in the acute
stage as they were formerly in China.
Bailway development in China is a sub
ject upon which I have often spoken in
this House. As to railway concessions in
that country, they are more and more
being divided; but I believe that is being
done on equitable lines as between the
different nations of the earth. I believe
that the linking up of all the nations in
one railway system, so far as land will
carry railways, is bound to come, and we
must judge of what ought to be done in
connection with the Trans-Persian Bail-
way by the recognition of that fact. But
whether we decide on strategical grounds
or not there must come a linking up of the
railways of. our great Indian Empire with
Central Asia and with Europe. The 'only
question is the arranging for that, I hope
as speedily as possible, on lines that will
not embroil the neighbouring countries in
war. Persia has been spoken of as a poor
country, but there are enormous regions in
Persia rich beyond compare, given irriga
tion, and irrigation can be found. The
development of Persia must not be
hindered too much by strategical con
siderations or jealousies between the
Powers. We are all glad of the change in
tone and sentiment on the part of the
Bussian Empire towards this country, and
generally at the outlook in Europe to-day,
and I am sure we may unitedly congratu
late the Foreign Secretary on his wise and
tactful conduct of foreign affairs, and on
the fact that he enjoys not only the esteem,
but the confidence of the whole nation.
Mr. BONAR LAW : I think I may con
gratulate the hon. Gentleman on the ease
with which he has travelled, not only from
China to Peru, but from China to every
place else in a very short time. Beference
has been made to the poor attendance on
this Vote, but I am not altogether dis
posed to think that that is a bad thing.
Our attendance here is regulated very
much by the amount of excitement which
we expect to get, and it is a good thing
that we do not have too much of that in
connection with foreign affairs. I am cer
tainly not going to cause any of it in the
few remarks which I wish to make to
night. I do not criticise, indeed I support
as strongly as I can, the broad lines of
policy which have been pursued by the
right hon. Gentleman; and even if I were
inclined to criticise the details on which
that policy has been managed, I certainly
should not do so. After all it is only the
broad lines which we on the Opposition
Benches can see clearly, and the other de
tails must be left to the Government
responsible for carrying on the affairs of
the country. There are only one or two
subsidiary points which have been dis
cussed to which I would like to make some
reference. The first which occurs to me is
the reference made to Egypt by the hon.
Member for Mayo (Mr. Dillon). He has
made what I am sure he will forgive me for
calling a characteristic speech, because
ever since I have been a Member of this
House I have noticed in these Debates that
he does not err on the side of attributing
too high motives to those who carry on
British rule in other countries, and I do
not think that he erred in that direction in
regard to Egypt to-day. Perhaps it would
be better to put it another way. I cer
tainly do not wish to be offensive to
the hon. Gentleman, and perhaps I
had better say that all his life he
has been an advocate of minorities
and oppressed nationalities. But perhaps
that comes naturally to people in the posi
tion in which Members of the Nationalist
party came to this House. But I would
suggest to the hon. Member that, if certain
schemes which have occupied our time in
this House recently go through, his posi
tion may possibly be changed; he may be
come one of the governing classes, and he
may exercise control over the minority
and the nationality which is certain to con
sider itself oppressed. If so, he might see
whether it is not possible to realise that,
after all, British people in their rule over
subject and weaker nations have generally
displayed an amount of magnanimity and a
desire to do good to those people irrespec
tive of their own interests, which has not
been equalled by any other Empire that
has exercised the same control in the his
tory of the world.