§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERI beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether his attention has been called to a statement in The Johannesburg Times of 1st February, to the effect that a field-cornet of the name of Bodenstein had forcibly expelled certain British subjects from the town of Krugersdorp on the ground that they were Asiatics; whether the persons expelled were British subjects and Natives of India; and whether the law of the Boer Republic permits the expulsion of British subjects from Boer territory on no other ground than that of their nationality; and, if so, whether the Sikh soldiers and policemen now being enlisted under the authority of the Crown for Service in South Africa are liable to be subjected to a similar indignity in case they cross the Boer frontier?
§ THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. SYDNEY BUXTON,) Tower Hamlets, PoplarWe have not yet received the Report of the High Commissioner on the statement in question, which was referred to him a few weeks ago. The legal position of British Indian subjects in the Transvaal being open to doubt, the question was lately referred to arbitration, and we have only just received the Report of the arbitrator. As regards the 1164 Sikh soldiers in Nyassaland, referred to by the hon. Gentleman, I do not think it probable that any question will arise in regard to them, as the frontier of the South African Republic is at least 500 miles from the place where they will be stationed.
§ MR. ARNOLD-FORSTERasked whether there was any precedent for making distinctions of this kind between British subjects in accordance with the colour of their skins?
§ MR. SYDNEY BUXTONasked for notice of the question.