COMMISSIONER'S REPORT (INDIA).

4th March.

Colonel WEDGWOOD asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the India Office or Government have yet made any representations to the Colonial Office as to the proposals for continuing and extending communal representation embodied in the Hilton Young Report?

Mr. SNELL asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether it is proposed to request the Government of India to forward its views on the Report of the Hilton Young Commission, in order that they may be taken into consideration by the Imperial Government before arriving at any decision with regard to constitutional changes in East Africa?

THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Earl WINTERTON): The Government of India have been asked for their views on the Report and my Noble Friend expects to receive these very shortly.

Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it is proposed to consult Parliament before taking any action on the Report of the Commission on closer union of the Crown Colonies and the mandated areas in East Africa?

Mr. AMERY: I would refer the hon. and gallant Member to the reply given on the 11th of February to my hon. Friend the Member for Blackburn (Sir S. Henn).

Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHY: Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that that reply is not definite. Is he in a position to add to it?

Mr. AMERY: No, Sir; not yet.

KENYA (SETTLEMENT SCHEME).

Sir ROBERT HAMILTON asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the closer settlement scheme now contemplated in Kenya embraces 72,000 acres, that thirty farms comprising 85,000 acres are to be auctioned next month, that 40,000 acres have been granted since last May for sisal growing and the grant of a further 100,000 acres for this purpose is under consideration, and that it is intended to alienate 250,000 acres for farms in the Leikipia district, he will state whether this large alienation policy has his approval while the Report of the Hilton Young Commission is under consideration?

Mr. AMERY: The closer settlement scheme which the hon. Member mentions is still under consideration. The other grants referred to, which have already been made or are now suggested, relate to areas which are covered by an arrangement made by the Governor of Kenya nearly two years ago, prior to the appointment of the Hilton Young Commission, in regard to the alienation of unoccupied land involving no native land rights or claims.

Sir R. HAMILTON: Does the right hon. Gentleman not consider that it would be advisable to delay the alienation of this land pending the finding of this report ?

Mr. AMERY: No, Sir. It means going back for some time, and I see no reason for changing an arrangement arrived at twelve years ago.

Colonel WEDGWOOD: Can the right hon. Gentleman assure the House that this land which it is now proposed to alienate is not the land which is referred to as being desirable to retain for holdings to natives?

Mr. AMERY: I do not think it is. This land does not involve native rights or occupation.

Mr. T. GRIFFITHS asked the Under-Secretary of State for India the number of South African Indians who have been repatriated since the enforcement of the scheme embodied in the Cape Town Agreement; and whether any of the Indians so repatriated have returned to work in South Africa?

Earl WINTERTON: The assisted emigration scheme, which is embodied in the Cape Town Agreement, came into operation in August, 1927. According to the Report of the Agent of the Government of India in South Africa for the year 1927, during the five months August to December, 1927, 1,655 Indians were repatriated under the provisions of the scheme. No later official figures have been received. As regards the second part of the question, my Noble Friend has no information.

NORTHERN NIGERIA (SCHOOL CHILDREN).

4th March,

Mr. RENNIE SMITH asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the number of children of school age in Northern Nigeria; and if he can furnish particulars of the number who are receiving some education?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I regret that it is not possible to give any estimate of the number of children in the Northern Provinces of Nigeria. According to the latest figures in my possession, the number of children receiving instruction was 395,813, nearly all of whom were attending the native Mohammedan Schools of which there are over 31,000.

Mr. SMITH Can the right hon. Gentleman say whether he is satisfied with the educational development in Northern Nigeria and whether the Report which has been made by a Commission which has visited there will be published and made available to hon. Members?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I do not know to what Report the hon. Member refers. There was a personal visit made by Mr. Fraser at the invitation of the Governor, but any kind of Report made by him for the consideration of the Governor is not framed in a form for publication nor was its publication contemplated when he drew it up. There is the annual Report which is published regarding the progress of education in Northern Nigeria, and the hon. Member will see there development of European educational methods over and above the Mohammedan, has been a matter of consideration.

Mr. GILLETT asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the recommendation of the East Africa Commission that a suitable proportion of the loan money should be spent for development purposes in native areas, and seeing the Kenya Legislative Council are proposing to raise a loan, a part of which, amounting to £200,000, is to be used to start a land bank, he will recommend that the bank should be available both for white settlers and native producers ?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: The question of establishing a land and agricultural bank in Kenya and the method of financing the bank if established are still under consideration. In publishing the Land and Agricultural Bank Bill for information and guidance, the Government announced that the question of participation by Africans in the benefits of the proposed law would, if supported by African opinion, form the subject of a separate Bill. I understand that it would be necessary to frame different provisions in view of the communal holdings of the natives. TANGANYIKA (NATIVE LANDS).

Mr. GILLETT asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that at a Government sale of farms at Tanganyika in October, 1928, it was announced that 20s. would be given as compensation for the loss of the use of the land for cultivation purposes in the case of each native affected; and whether this is all the compensation given to a native whose land is sold by the Government to non-natives?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I have not seen such an announcement and I am not aware of the place to which the hon. Member alludes. No land (other than areas of freehold land alienated by the former German Government) can be sold in Tanganyika, and no non-native can be granted a lease of any land that is in the lawful occupation of a native. I understand, however, that in certain cases where a native has had an isolated rice patch or plot of vegetable cultivation within an otherwise unoccupied area he has been offered the alternative of retaining the patch or of receiving some monetary compensation.

EAST AFRICA (COMMISSION'S REPORT). IIth March.

Mr. DAY asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether the views of the Government of India on the Report of the Hilton Young Commission have been received; and can he say whether any decision has been arrived at with regard to any future changes in East Africa?

Earl WINTERTON: The views of the Government of India are still awaited. The second part of the question should be addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

Mr. DAY: Will the Noble Lord say when he hopes to have a reply? Earl WINTERTON: No, Sir. I cannot give the hon. Member any indication as to when the report will be received, but I should imagine it will be fairly shortly.

Sir ROBERT THOMAS asked the First Lord of the Admiralty what ships of His Majesty's Navy are at present on duty in the prevention and suppression of slave-trading in the Red Sea; what degree of activity slave-traders are showing in this region; and what captures of slave dhows have recently been effected?

THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY: Two sloops are detailed for duty in the Red Sea, where one of their principal duties is the prevention of slave-trading. One of these sloops is at present undergoing repairs at Malta, there being no repairing base in the Red Sea. The slave traders naturally take great care to conceal their activities, but from reports received it appears that there is still a limited traffic in slaves from the African coast to Arabia, but of what extent cannot be ascertained. No dhows carrying slaves have been captured recently.

18th March.

TANGANYIKA (NATIVE CO-OPERATIVE ORGANISATION).

Mr. WELLOCK asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can give information as to the co-operative organisation among the natives of Moshi, Tanganyika; the number of cultivators in the organisation; the chief commodity grown; and the average annual value of the sales of production per cultivator?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: I assume that the hon. Member refers to the Kilimanjaro Native Planters Association. This Association has some 11,000 members, and is concerned with the growing and marketing of coffee. The total value of coffee grown by members of the Association in 1928 is estimated at £50,000, giving an average value of roughly £4 10S. per cultivator.

Mr. GEOFFREY PETO: Will my right hon. Friend see that these co-operative societies are not compelled to subscribe to the funds of the Socialist party?

Mr. WELLOCK: In view of the great success of this organisation, can we have an assurance that this kind of organisation will be encouraged?

Mr. ORMSBY-GORE: Wherever it is practicable to do so. Where you have the tribal organisation and the type of native cultivators who organise it is a practicable proposition.

Mr. KELLY asked the Under-Secretary of State for India what is the statutory limit to the hours of employment of Indian labourers in Malaya; the minimum rates of wages for male, female, and child labourers; and whether these minimum rates are exclusive of necessary medical attention or are subject to deductions on account of any obligatory charges?

Earl WINTERTON: The Labour Laws in force in Malaya fix the hours of employment of Indian labourers at nine a day, of which not more than

six should be worked continuously. Standard daily rates of wages of 50 cents for adult males and 40 cents for adult females in the Province Wellesley, and of 58 cents for adult males and 46 cents for adult females in the inland districts of Pahang, were introduced in 1927. These rates have been accepted by the Government of India, who have urged the Malayan Governments to take steps as soon as possible for the adoption of standard rates for the rest of Malaya. As regards child labourers, an amendment of the Labour Code, recently passed, provides for the fixation. of standard rates of wages for children of ten years of age and over. With regard to the last part of the question, employers are prohibited by law. from making any deductions from wages other than for rice or other foodstuffs advanced to labourers or small cash advances paid in anticipation of wages for the purchase of provisions. This information, which is the latest available, is taken from a report for the year 1927.

Mr. KELLY asked the Under-Secretary of State for India whether it is the intention of the Government of India to postpone further the operation of the emigration enforcing a definite sex ratio among the Indians recruited for labour on the Malayan plantations; and whether he will inform the House on the subject of the discussions between the controller ol labour in Malaya and the Government of India during the former's recent visit to Delhi?

Earl WINTERTON: The Government of India have decided to extend, subject to certain reservations, the exemption of Indian emigration to Malaya from the restriction on the emigration of single men, laid down in Rule 23 of the Indian Emigration Rules, until June, 1930. As regards the second part of the question, the controller of labour in Malaya recently visited India for the purpose of discussing this matter and other questions affecting Indian emigration to Malaya with representatives of the Government of India. My Noble Friend has not received a detailed Report on these discussions.

EAST AFRICA (COMMISSION'S Report). 27th March.

Mr. GILLETT asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he proposes to send to East Africa any Colonial Office official or other person to inquire into the questions arising out of the Report of the East Africa Commission; if so, whom he proposes to send and when; into what subjects the inquiries are to be made; and whether such person will have power to negotiate on his behalf as well as to make inquiries?

Mr. AMERY: I hope to make a statement on this matter at the end of questions.

Mr. J. H. THOMAS (by Private Notice) asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what action is contemplated by the Government with regard to the recommendations of the Report of the recent Commission on Closer Union in East Africa (Cmd. 3234), and what machinery is proposed