2 PARIS, 1937: COLONIAL QUESTIONS AND PEACE 223Perham stated that it was precisely because of this change in the
nature of British rule that ‘true internationalists’ must brave the charge
of hypocrisy and conclude that the inhabitants of Britain’s African terri-
tories would have ‘nothing to gain, and possibly much to lose’ by being
placed in the hands of another Power.^483 Perham declared that while
she did not undervalue the effects of peaceful adjustments to the status
quo, in the case of the colonial claims it was of the utmost importance
to remember that one was not dealing simply with resources or land
‘but with subject people’ if one were to avoid the danger of making sac-
rifices at their expense.^484 As a form of response to the claims of what
she referred as the so-called have-nots, Perham suggested two courses
of action. First, Britain should adopt a policy along the lines proposed
by Hoare at Geneva according to which the country would ‘freely share
with the rest of the world such economic advantages as belong at present
to trusteeship’.^485
Second, and much, much more importantly from her perspective,
Britain should commit itself to making even greater efforts to advance
the interests of the inhabitants of its African territories and then seek
international approval for this commitment. Here, Perham was propos-
ing a measure of internationalisation of British trusteeship and, indeed,
of imperialism in Africa in general, in the form of international regulation
in regard to such matters as the ‘militarization of natives’ and the ‘rights
and future needs of Africans in regard to land.’^486 As she noted, such
an approach had already been adopted at Geneva in the case of ‘native
labour’ through the machinery of conference, committee, an investiga-
tion report and a convention.^487 Perham argued that international reg-
ulation would have the advantage of not only making it apparent to all
that Britain was in fact carrying out its policy of trusteeship, but also of
propelling Britain further along the path of preparing its subject peoples
for self-government. International regulation, she stated in concluding,
(^483) Ibid.
(^484) Ibid.
(^485) Ibid.
(^486) Ibid.
(^487) Ibid.