§ MR. LABOUCHEREI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether it is intended to hand over Manicaland to the Chartered Company of South Africa, in the event of this territory coming under British Protectorate; and whether, if so, in view of the fact that the promoters of the South Africa Company have reserved to them- 1604 selves one-half of all net profits derived from the concession to them of certain mining rights in Mashonaland from Lobengula, which half they have assigned to a company, consisting of themselves and others, for the sum of £4,000,000, represented by shares of the company, and thrown all the expenses of administration of Mashonaland, in consideration of meeting which they were granted a charter, on the Chartered Company of South Africa; and, in view of the fact that all persons engaging in mining operations in Mashonaland are required to pay to the Chartered Company and to the parent company formed by the promoters one-half of all net profits, steps will be taken to secure to British subjects the right to engage in mining operations in Manicaland without being obliged to pay this vast royalty to the promoters of the Chartered Company of South Africa, and to reserve free access to all of Her Majesty's subjects to that territory?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Baron H. de WORMS,) Liverpool, East ToxtethSo much of Manica as is not within the Portuguese boundaries is already within the field of the British South Africa Company's operations, as defined by the Royal Charter. Her Majesty's Government accept no responsibility for the financial arrangements of the British South Africa Company, or for the hon. Member's description of them; but as the Company will be required to expend large sums for the purpose of maintaining order and good government, Her Majesty's Government do not propose to object to their raising revenue in the manner described, or to require that British subjects not contributing to such revenue shall have free access to the territory under the company's control.
§ MR. CUNINGHAME GRAHAM (Lanark, N.W.)May I ask whether the right hon. Gentleman is prepared to give an assurance that British troops shall not be used in the protection of the company's interests?
§ BARON H. DE WORMSI cannot answer a question that is purely hypothetical.