§ MR. DUNCAN SCHWANN (Cheshire, Hyde)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that the effect of the Municipal Corporations Act of Natal, now awaiting the sanction of His Majesty's Imperial Government, will be to deprive qualified free British Indians in that Colony of their present right to enrolment as burgesses and municipal voters, that the term "uncivilised races" in that Act will include evencultured sons of freed indentured labourers as well as such freed Indians themselves, and that its effect will be for ever to preclude their obtaining the municipal vote, the Secretary of State proposes to advise that sanction shall be withheld from this Act.
§ MR. CHURCHILLAs I explained in reply to Questions addressed to me on 19th and 20th February by the hon. Members for Hammersmith and the Montgomery Burghs,†the Secretary of State is in communication with the Natal Government. Meanwhile the Bill is not in operation.