§ MR. ALEXANDER M'ARTHUR (Leicester)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the land settlement which took place in British Bechuanaland after the extension to that country of the Queen's sovereignty, which received at the time the approval of the High Commissioner and of Her Majesty's Government, secured to the various tribes or clans of the Natives of the country certain tracts of land as an inalienable possession; whether the Administrator of British Bechuanaland has recently issued a legislative proclamation to determine the tenure of Native reserves, and to vest the title thereto in trustees, one of whom may be the Native Chief, thus more or less closely following the course recommended in the Cape Colony; whether this change has ever been requested by the Natives; whether they were consulted before the proclamation was issued; and whether it was made at the instance of Her Majesty's Secretary of State.
§ BARON H. DE WORMSThe answer to the first paragraph of the hon. Member's question is in the affirmative. Such a legislative proclamation as that mentioned in the second paragraph was issued 14 months ago. The land remains inalienable, except that provision is made for granting individual titles to natives in certain cases. There is nothing in the correspondence to show whether the natives requested that the proclamation might be issued, or were consulted about it previously. It was not issued at the instance of the Secretary of State, but has been approved by him.