§ MR. HENRY LABOUCHERE (Northampton)I sent private notice 349 to the Colonial Office this morning of a Question I wished to put to the right hon. Gentleman the Secretary for the Colonies, but I received an intimation that the right hon. Gentleman was unavoidably absent to-day, though he will be back on Monday. In the meantime, I will ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether we are to count on the Colonial Vote being put down for next Friday?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURYIf the hon. Gentleman will put that Question to me on Monday I may probably be able to give him a definite answer. I may say, however, that any general expression of the House in favour of that course being taken would be at once adopted by the Government; but when I made the suggestion before, a right hon. Gentleman on the Front Bench opposite got up and said that, so far as that Bench was concerned, there was no desire to force on the Vote on next Friday. Possibly, however, that view has changed since.
§ MR. LABOUCHEREMay I ask right hon. Gentlemen on that Bench whether their views have changed?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT (Monmouthshire, W.)In reference to that matter, Sir, as far as this side of the House is concerned, I will endeavour to ascertain what is the feeling on the subject. ["Hear, hear!"] What has withheld us hitherto has been the extremely grave condition of things in South Africa, and we have been extremely anxious not to embarrass the Government in any way in their negotiations. [Mr. BALFOUR: "Hear, hear!"] There are questions with reference to the very serious facts that have been announced this morning—questions to the Government—which probably it will be better to defer till Monday. It is quite obvious that the House and the country desires to know whether the Government have had, since the evidence which is stated this morning to have been given at Pretoria last Monday, any communication with the Chartered Company. ["Hear, hear!"]