§ MR. HOGANI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Ordinance of the British New Guinea Legislature, conferring a number of concessions upon a London Syndicate, has been disallowed by Her Majesty; and whether a demand for monetary compensation to the Syndicate has been addressed to the Governments of New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland; 871 if so, oh what grounds, and to what amount?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES1. The Ordinance has been disallowed in consequence of the objections to its provisions entertained by the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria, two of the Colonies which contribute to the expense of the administration of British New Guinea. 2. As the Syndicate had reason to expect from the correspondence which took place before I was aware of the objections of the two Colonies, that the Ordinance would not be disallowed, I have informed them that if they have, in reliance on that correspondence, incurred expenditure in furtherance of the objects of the concession, I should be prepared to submit to the contributing Colonies any reasonable claim for the repayment of the actual out-of-pocket expenses so incurred. I have not yet received any statement of such claim.