MR. BRYN ROBERTS (Carnarvonshire, Eifion)I beg to ask the Secretary 1277 of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the fact that, at the Bloemfontein Conference, President Kruger strongly disputed the genuineness of the petition from the Transvaal submitted to Her Majesty, and asserted that over 23,000 Uitlanders had sent him a counter petition, the proposed Joint Committee will be instructed to inquire to what extent the franchise is really desired by British Uitlanders, and how many would be willing to forfeit their British nationality in order to obtain it, and also to inquire whether the Uitlander movement in the Transvaal is, as alleged, to any and what extent due to instigation of capitalists and their agents.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN,) Birmingham, W.The inquiry will be confined to the details of the reforms required for giving immediate substantial representation to the Uitlanders. Full information is given as to the genuineness of the petition to the Queen on pages 184 and 224 of the Blue Book C. 9,345, and pages 46 and 60 and following pages of the Blue Book C. 9,404, as to the character of the counter petition on page 237 of C. 9,345 and page 22 of C. 9,404, and as to the nature of the Uitlander movement on pages 135, 163, and 207 of C. 9,345.