§ MR. H. O. ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the 352 Colonies what are the British Acts or Ordinances which give power to search, fine, or imprison the citizens of a friendly State who are suspected of entering the United Kingdom, having in their possession the lawful current money of the State to which they belong; which of such Statutes or Ordinances he relies upon as furnishing a precedent for the Boer Law by which British subjects are made liable to be searched, fined, and imprisoned for entering the Transvaal with English silver money in their possession; and whether, in view of the unfriendly character of the Boer Law referred to Her Majesty's Government will make representations to the Boer Government with a view of procuring its early repeal?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONThe Act of the United Kingdom, to which I referred the other day, was the Customs Act of 1886, which prohibits, under Proclamation, the importation of all coins coined in any foreign country other than gold and silver coins; I also quoted somewhat similar prohibitions which have been enforced in some of the Colonies. I gave these facts in reply to the question of my hon. Friend, but specially refrained from treating them as precedents for the action of the Government of the South African Republic. We have not received any complaints in reference to the Act referred to in the Question, namely, the Mint Act of the South African Republic of 1891.
§ MR. H. O. ARNOLD-FORSTERThe hon. Gentleman has not answered the last part of the Question—namely, whether it is proposed to remonstrate against Acts of this unfriendly nature, rendering British subjects liable to be searched for British coins in the Transvaal?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONThe Act was passed in 1891, and was not protested against by the then Government. We have not thought it necessary to protest against it, inasmuch as we have not received any complaints with regard to it.