§ MR. BAYLEY (Derbyshire, Chesterfield)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the speech of Earl Grey, one of the directors of the South African Chartered Company, at a meeting of the company on 14th December, 1899, in which he advocates the imposition of a hut tax of £1 per hut as an incentive to labour, in conformity with the practice which exists in Basutoland, and with the permission of the Imperial authorities, the establishment of a labour tax which able-bodied natives should be required to pay who are unable to show a certificate of four months' 919 work; whether the Imperial authorities have been approached on this subject; and whether they have agreed to the labour tax as suggested by Earl Grey.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINThe answer to the first part of the question is in the affirmative. In reply to the second and third I have to say that no proposals on the subject have been as yet placed before me by the company.