§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)postponed until Monday a question—To ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that a Chartered Company is not under the obligation to make Returns to Somerset House in regard to the Act of its shareholders and other matters connected with it, which are obligatory on all Limited Liability Companies not being Chartered Companies; whether, in view of this fact, and that by the 25th Article of the Charter of the South Africa Company it is stated that—
Within one year after the date of this Our Charter, or such extended period as may be certified by Our Secretary of State, there shall be executed by the Members of the Company for the time being a Deed of Settlement providing, so far as is necessary for,amongst other things,the regulation of Members of the Company, and the transfer of shares in the capital of the 680 Company; the division and distribution of profits,he will cause such a Deed of Settlement to be executed, and lay it, when executed, upon the Table of the House, in order that the public may have the same opportunity to know matters in connection with the transfer of shares in this Company, and with the division and distribution of profits which are available in respect to companies that are not chartered; and whether, in connection with this Return, he will see that it is fully set forth, and that, whilst the Company has to pay all costs and expenditure in regard to carrying out the objects of the concession from Lobengula, one-half of the profits (if any) are retained by the Promoters of the Company, should it appear that this is the case?
§ MR. LABOUCHEREalso postponed until Monday a question—To ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies-whether an Imperial Proclamation has been published in theGazette of the Cape Colony, declaring that any attempt to occupy Baryarland, or to establish autonomous government in that country, will be regarded as an infringement of the rights of the British South Africa Company, and an aggression against British suzerainty, and will be resisted; whether it is to be understood that no British subject is to be allowed in Baryarland without the permission of the British South Africa Company; and, if so, from whence this exclusive right of the Company to occupy this territory is derived; whether he can state how many British subjects there are now in Baryarland, and what is the area of that country; whether he is aware that persons wishing to pass through Mashona-land in order to go northwards are impeded by agents of the South Africa Company; whether he is aware that the Company does not permit any of Her Majesty's subjects to trade in Mashonaland, and that the monopoly of opening stores has been granted to two Kimberley firms, notwithstanding that it is set forth in the Charter granted to the Company, that it is conferred upon it because it will tend
To the opening up of the said territories to the immigration of Europeans, and to the lawful trade and commerce of Her Majesty's subjects and of other nations;681 and that it is stated in the 20th Paragraph of the said Charter thatNothing in this Our Charter shall be deemed to authorise the Company to set up or grant any monopoly in trade;whether he is aware that the concession from Lobengula in regard to which the Charter was granted is only a concession granting many rights to the Company, and that it conferred on it no land, and that promises are being held out by advertisements of the Company in the South African newspapers offering to intending settlers land in Mashonaland (which forms part of the territory in-deluded in the mining concession of Lobengula); and whether, in order to prevent Her Majesty's subjects from being deluded into going into Mashonaland by the promise of grants of land from the Company, Her Majesty's Government will take steps to make it known that the Company can make no grants of land, as it has no land to grant?