§ MR. R. MCKENNA (Monmouth, N.)I beg to ask the Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs how the material for the Uganda Railway is being carried to Mombasa; whether there is any British line of steamers running between Great Britain and Mombasa; and whether any proposal has been made to any British steamship company to guarantee to such company the carriage of the Uganda Railway material in consideration for an undertaking by the company to run a direct line of steamers between Great Britain and Mombasa?
THE UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. CURZON,) Lancashire, S.W., SouthportThe material for the Uganda Railway is carried by steamships specially chartered by the Crown Agents for the Colonies. There is no direct line of steamers running between Great Britain and Mombasa. Goods, other than those sent in specially chartered vessels, are trans-shipped at Aden. No such proposal as is mentioned in the last paragraph has been made to any company.
§ MR. M'KENNAHas any such proposal as that mentioned in this question been made by any British Company to the Government, and are the ships actually employed in carrying the railway material German ships?
MR. CURZONIn regard to the first part of the supplementary question, such proposals were made to the Government, and the Government, acting on the advice of the Crown agents of the Colonies, were obliged, in the interests of economy, to decline them. I am not able to answer the second part of the question, because I do not know.