§ MR. THOMAS BAYLEY (Derbyshire, Chesterfield)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, whether with reference to the proposed names to serve on the South African Committee, he has assured himself that no Member to be proposed is or has been a shareholder in the South African Chartered Company?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR, Manchester, E.)As the hon. Gentleman is probably aware, an impartial Select Committee to deal with this subject is not to be sought for in the same sense as an impartial Committee appointed to deal with a private Bill. If the House desired that the matter should be dealt with by a judicial tribunal, it ought to have taken steps to secure that it should be sent to a judicial tribunal. ["Hear, hear!"] 397 I have not made the inquiries suggested in the Question, and I have made no attempt to interfere with the ordinary way of appointment of a Member notoriously hostile to the company, any more than I should interfere in order to include gentlemen who are notoriously in its favour. [Cheers.]