CO129-591-7 Estimates for 1946-1947 12-12-1945 - 14-3-1947 — Page 32

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Mr Llbyd

This has come to me in Mr Caine's absence.

My personal view, which I believe is in general line with Mr Caine's, is that while the Far Eastern territories have obviously not

been treated by H.M. G. with the same generosity as has Malta, there is not much toxbexgained that we can hope to gain by raising the issue of

principle with the Treasury just now.

Malta, of course, scored because the issue of financial assistance for the repair of her

war damage first arose when the spotlight of public sympathy was focussed upon her at the haig

height of the seige. It was then that the statement was made in Parliament promising the

£10 million gift, and it was the wording of

in the Circumstances of that statement, which not unnaturally at the

time was couched in terms of less than the

usual cold legal precision, that created the

moral commitment to very substantial further assistance which is now being provided by the

bill now before Parliament. When the proposals

embodied in this bill were first discussed with

the Treasury Mr Caine and I were rather perturbed by the differing standard of treatment which tha they represented as compared with anything we could hope to achieve for other territories, but as the Malta proposals flowed from H.M.G's wartime

commitment and for that and other reasons were

being strongly pressed on political grounds, and

ak as it was also clear that the only result of pressing at that jucture for uniformity of

treatment would have been, not to gain more for

other territories, but merely to imperil the Malta settlement, we concurred in the proposals

made to the Treasury on Malta.

+

I have set out the above past history relati

ng