§ MR. E. H. BAYLEY (Camberwell, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any further Correspondence relative to the Gibraltar Sanitary Board, in continuation of that contained in the Blue Book presented to Parliament in May, 1892, is in existence, and will be laid upon the Table? I also wish to ask whether, in view of the urgency for increasing the water supply at Gibraltar, he will empower the official members of the Sanitary Board to give immediate effect to the simplest and most readily available plan, which consists in enlarging the area of the collecting tanks, and adding 1833 to the machinery for condensing water, and to postpone further consideration of the plan for driving a costly tunnel in the solid rook, in the hope of finding water there, despite the opinions of such eminent geologists as Professors Ramsay and Geike that there is no likelihood of finding any; and whether he will consider the advisability of taking steps to allay the discontent among the loyal members of the British Colony of Gibraltar, who object both to inadequate representation on the Sanitary Board and to the expenditure of their money by the majority of the official members?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. S. BUXTON, Tower Hamlets, Poplar)The whole question of the water supply of Gibraltar has been receiving the most careful attention of the Secretary of State; and the last Despatch from the late Sir L. Nicholson was in reference to this matter. In consequence of the lamented death of the Governor, and in view of the immediate appointment of his successor, the Secretary of State proposes to defer his final decision until he has had the advantage of receiving and considering the views of the new Governor on the subject. As regards the last paragraph of the question, I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on the subject a few days ago. With regard to the question of giving further Correspondence, there are some Papers, which will be laid on the Table.