§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any Despatches of Sir Gerald Portal since his arrival in Uganda have reached Her Majesty's Government; and whether, if so, he will lay them upon the Table of the House?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOE FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Sir E. GREY, Northumberland, Berwick)Some Despatches have been received quite recently, but they have not yet been considered by Her Majesty's Government, and I am not, therefore, in a position to make any statement as to their publication. I may say, however, that they only give an account of Sir Gerald Portal's proceedings up to the 8th of April, and do not contain any final opinion on his part either as to Uganda or the best method of dealing with the country.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREWhen does the hon. Baronet think the Government will be able to form a conclusion?
§ SIR E. GREYI cannot say how soon, but it is obvious that the consideration of important Despatches must take some time. If the hon. Member will repeat the question next week, I hope to be able to give him a more definite answer.
§ COLONEL NOLAN (Galway, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to a statement in The Standard, that the correspondent of The Berliner Tageblatt had written from Uganda that the Catholics and the Protestant Bishops had agreed, with the concurrence of Sir Gerald Portal, on an apportionment of territory between the professors of the two religions; if this statement is correct; and if the division of Uganda is finally concluded?
§ SIR E. GREYAttention has been drawn to the statement. It is correct that the Protestant and Roman Catholic Bishops have, with the approval of Sir 1066 Gerald Portal, come to an understanding as to an apportionment of territory that would be satisfactory to them. But no final settlement has yet been reported.