THE Negro Library which has found a home in the rooms Negro of the Society at Denison House, though still small, is Library. representative. It was founded last year for the purpose of bringing together in London, in an accessible form, literature of Negro authorship and reliable information on the progress, so remarkable in all ways, made by American Negroes during their first half-century of freedom. The books have been presented by American and English friends who, realizing the general ignorance prevailing in England (even in the educated and cultured class) of Negro life and conditions in America, hoped by this means to evoke, with wider knowledge, increased sympathy with dark-skinned Americans now our Allies in this great World War. The Society has warmly co-operated with the founders of the Negro Library by throwing open its own valuable library to the public on the same terms, viz., free issue of volumes for a month to any responsible person desirous of borrowing them.

The Annual Meeting.

THE Society's Annual Meeting was held on April 24 in the Conference Room, 9, Tothill Street, when the President, Sir T. F. Victor Buxton, as usual, occupied the chair. A business meeting of members was first held for the election of the Committee and Officers for the ensuing year. Mr. Charles Roberts, M.P. (who will be remembered as the able Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on the Putumayo in 1913), was elected Vice-President of the General Committee in place of Mr. Francis W. Fox, who, after devoted services to the Society for many years, is unfortunately now laid aside by serious ill-health. Mr. Fox's name and those of Mr. W. Carey Morgan (the Society's solicitor and a member of the Committee of long standing), and Mr. W. B. Gibbins were added to the list of Vice-Presidents.

At this meeting it was decided that no change in the name of the Society should be brought forward for the present, and that the adoption of a Constitution setting forth the objects and methods of the Society on the lines of that of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society should be adjourned for a year.

At the Conference, which was well attended, questions of wide import were raised; owing to an important debate which was proceeding in the House of Commons at the same time, several Members of Parliament who hoped to take part in the Conference, including Mr. Charles Roberts, Mr. Molteno, Sir Albert Spicer, etc., were unable to attend. Among others present were Mr. J. W. Wilson, M.P., Mr. H. Pike Pease, M.P., Mr. Noel Buxton, M.P., Mr. T. E. Harvey, M.P., Mr. Chas. Roden Buxton, and Mr. A. E. Zimmern

Apologies for absence having been mentioned, an extract was read from

a letter from M. Max Horn from the Belgian Colonial Office, whose long interest in and acquaintance with Congo problems is well known, expressing the deep gratitude which he felt to the Society for the action which it had taken on behalf of the Belgians deported from their country by the German authorities.

SIR VICTOR BUXTON, President, then opened the Conference by giving a brief review of the Society's activities in the past year, and referred his audience to the annual report before them. He said that they had finished the year with a small deficit at the Bank of £40, but were nearer that year than ever before to the ideal which they sought to attain, in making regular income balance expenditure. There had been a very good response to an appeal which had been sent out, and they had several new subscribers; he hoped before that year closed they might reach the ideal completely, and have a sufficient number of new members and subscribers to meet the regular expenditure of the Society, and so avoid any necessity for special appeals.

The Committee had submitted a memorial on Native Races and Peace Terms to the Foreign Office, pointing out that a good many years had passed since the last International Congress on Native Affairs, and that when peace was restored it was very desirable that there should be another International Congress for considering the native problems which would arise—problems connected with land, labour and similar subjects-the object to be to safeguard the rights and interests of Native Races throughout the world. That memorial had been favourably considered by the Foreign Office, and they must continue to work for the establishment of that Congress when the time came.

In connection with the South African Native Land Act he mentioned that a small Commission of two had been appointed to look carefully into the areas of land assigned to natives, one of these two being Mr. Maurice Evans, C.M.G. It was good to know that he would be studying the subject and advising the South African Government.

The question of Ceylon was a difficult and complicated one. The Society had presented a memorial to the Government asking for an inquiry into the measures which were taken under Martial Law after the riots in 1915. There can be no doubt that there must have been a great deal of injustice at that time. They did not wish to blame the authorities unduly because their position must have been most difficult. Although the Society's plea for an inquiry had not been granted, some good had been done by the action of the Society because important concessions had been made. They still felt that after the war it was most desirable that a fair and impartial inquiry should be held, and they intended to keep that object in view.

Passing on to the African labourers in France, Sir V. Buxton said that a deputation had waited on Mr. Bonar Law to ask him to give facilities for

the providing for the interests of these African labourers and making their stay in France as congenial as possible to them. Mr. Bonar Law responded kindly to the representations made to him; a strong Committee had been brought into existence under the chairmanship of Lord Selborne, and Sir Herbert Sloley who was present that day and had taken a very active part in this work, had been to France and would speak of his recent visits to the quarters of the African labourers.

Since the last Annual Meeting two Committees had been formed in Scotland. He had had the pleasure of going north last summer, and with Mr. Buxton and Mr. Harris had visited Edinburgh and Glasgow, and in each of these cities there was now a strong Committee. Each of these had taken an active part in connection with the Africans in France and joined in presenting the memorial to the Government on Native Races and Peace Terms.

One other matter he must refer to the memorial presented to the Neutral Powers generally in connection with the deportation by the German Government of the civilian population of Belgium and Northern France. It was felt that as an Anti-Slavery Society we ought to protest against what was practically an enslavement of the population. They had reason to believe that this memorial was not unwelcome to our Government, and public opinion in neutral countries had some effect on the German Government.

Referring to the recently formed Empire Resources Development Committee, he said that the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Wilson Fox, had given an address which showed the sort of principles they are likely to adopt. He felt the greatest anxiety as to their main principle. The Chairman of the Committee, Lord Henry Bentinck, was particularly able to deal with this question, and as he had to leave early he would call upon him at once. He formally moved the adoption of the report.

A SUBJECT OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

LORD H. CAVENDISH-BENTINCK, M.P., said: I now have an opportunity of seconding the adoption of the report and saying a few words to you on a subject which I think is of great national importance. We are told that dangerous times are ahead of us directly peace is declared. Those who make it their business to prophesy, to make our flesh creep, tell us that a time of great danger is coming. The German Government will, in order to help the German manufacturer, seek to control very largely the supply of raw material in the world, and we are told that in order to defend ourselves we shall have to adopt the same policy. Well, there may be something in it. I think our Government will in future have to take a more active part in our trade both at home and abroad. Undoubtedly the diversity of our resources in the British Empire is very large, but when

these people advocate that we should seek to establish a monopoly of all the raw material of the British Empire we get on more questionable ground. I won't discuss that this afternoon, as it would take too long, and it is not really a question that confronts us as a Society. I will only say this, that in my opinion the vital question which really stands out above all other questions is that of establishing perpetual peace to the world on the basis of free democratic federation and free democratic enterprise. I leave you to decide among yourselves as to how that idea is possible with a ring fence. round the British Empire. To my mind the nations of the world would consider that we have only broken the Hindenburg line to put another line round the British Empire. But the question we have to decide this afternoon is how our Empire resources are to be developed. Say, for instance, in West Africa-Are the natives to be treated as producers or merely as labourers? Are the natives to be confirmed in all the privileges conferred by ordinances and by treaties? Are they to be encouraged to be industrious citizens by education and instruction in those arts of civilization which tend to increase their wants and so make them an industrious community, or are they to be dispossessed of their property and treated as mere labourers and wage-earners? This question is assuming a character of grave importance, because there is a movement on foot to take away from the natives their rights as citizens of the British Empire. Mr. Wilson Fox, who is Hon. Secretary of the Empire Resources Development Committee, has made several most interesting statements to the Royal Society of Arts. The objects of this Committee include many of a very admirable kind, but I think it is not difficult to detect in that speech that one object is to deprive the native of the rights and privileges which have been conferred upon him and turn him into an ordinary workman or labourer. If this is so, all I can say is, that it is the gravest infringement not only of the spirit, but of the letter of the rights which have been conferred upon the natives. May I remind you that the Land Ordinance of Northern Nigeria stated the whole of the lands of the colony to be native lands? If we depart from that we make the most flagrant departure from the very bed-rock principle on which the British Empire has been built--viz. that the Government exists for the good of the governed. There is, I am sorry to say, a tendency to turn this war to uses which are inconsistent with our prosperity. You had an example of this last year in the proposal put before Parliament that an export tax should be put on the palm oil of West Africa. The object of this was to give monopoly to British manufacturers. I see no harm in giving monopoly to British manufacturers as long as you do not injure the native. Still, I am thankful to say that we have heard very little of that export tax lately. I believe opinion in the House of Commons and in West Africa is decidedly against it, but it shows that there is a tendency in this country to depart from the honourable principles of the British Empire. It is our duty in the House of Commons to maintain it and to see that the

British Empire does not exist as a sort of grim wolf with privy paw, but as honourable federation of enlightened people which exists for the benefit of the community at large. What we must remember, above all things, is that we stand for those who have no representation in the House of Commons, who are inarticulate, and that, with regard to the natives of West Africa, the Government should exist for the benefit of the governed.

Mr. JOHN H. HARRIS, Organizing Secretary, pointed out that the President of the Rhodesian Chartered Company, which claimed the whole of the land of Rhodesia as the property of the shareholders of that Company, and the Chairman of the Empire Resources Development Committee were one and the same, and that the main principles of the Rhodesian Chartered Company were found in the programme of the Committee.

Mr. C. P. TREVELYAN, M.P., asked how far it was yet known that the Government was in with th's Committee. Any action taken in the House of Commons, of course, must be directed to the Government more than to the Committee, and it would be well to know whether the Government was in close relations with the Committee and were there any indications that the Government is going to take any action immediately?

Mr. Harris replied that it was proposed to circulate among members of Parliament a pamphlet which he had written, and that it was hoped certain M.P.'s would put questions in the House on the subject.

Mr. E. D. MOREL then spoke on the same subject.

[Owing to certain official restrictions which have been made as to the circulation of Mr. Morel's writings in foreign countries, the Editor was advised to apply to the Chief Censor for permission to publish the speech. As this permission has not yet been accorded at the t me of going to press, we regret to be unable to publish the speech in this issue but hope to be able to do so in our October number.-ED. A.-S.R. & A.F.]

AFRICAN LABOURERS IN FRANCE.

SIR HERBERT SLOLEY, K.C.M.G., said: I feel very much honoured at being asked to give you a brief account of my journey in France to visit the native labourers. I was one of those who felt a feeling of dismay when I first heard that African labourers were to be brought to Europe, for I have seen in a certain number of cases the most disastrous results of bringing South African natives to Europe, and it was only as a war measure that I thought it was a wise thing to bring them to France. The labour is very badly needed there. There are devastations to be repaired, stores have to be moved and the roadways to be kept in repair. There are labourers from all parts of the world, from Fiji, China and America, as well as the natives in which this Committee has taken particular interest, namely, those from South Africa.