§ MR. FLAVIN (Kerry, N.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for War whether he has any information to the effect that Mr. Houlder, Premier of South Australia, objects to agents recruiting police for General Baden-Powell's Constabulary, and that he also stated that the other Governments are also unfavourable to agents recruiting for the South African Police Force.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. J. CHAMBERLAIN,) Birmingham, W.I have no information as to Mr. Houlder raising objection. So far my information is that on 26th December he telegraphed to the Agent General in London inquiring whether men desiring to join could do so at Adelaide. I received a telegram from Sir A. Milner last night stating that he had inquired by telegraph whether an officer might be sent to recruit in Australia and New Zealand. Queensland and Tasmania agreed to recruiting, but New South Wales objected to men being permanently withdrawn from that colony, and New Zealand did not consider recruiting for the Constabulary desirable, as the colony is at present despatching a further contingent of troops to South Africa. I was asked, in reference to that, on a previous occasion whether Sir Alfred Milner's proceedings had my approval. I wish to say that Sir Alfred Milner's proceedings seem to have been confined to sending a confidential inquiry to the Governor of the Commonwealth, and that I entirely approve of that.