*SIR WALTER FOSTER (Derbyshire, Ilkeston)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state the number of cases of plague that have occurred at Cape Town, according to his latest advices, distinguishing the number of Europeans and the number of natives attacked; whether at the time of the outbreak of the malady the authorities at Cape Town had an adequate supply of Haffkinine (prophylactu vaccine) and of Yersius curative serum for dealing with an outbreak; whether a supply of these materials has since been sent out; and whether he will lay upon the Table any reports received from Dr. Edington or Professor Simpson on the relation of the disease in rats to that in human beings.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINMy information is not complete, but, as stated in the telegraphic bulletins which have been supplied by the Cape Government and published, there was a total of twenty cases for the week ending 16th February and twenty-nine cases remaining under at that date; on 23rd there were twenty-one remaining under treatment. So far as I am aware there has been one European case. As to the second question, I have no information; the matter is one for the responsible Government of the Cape Colony. In reply to the third question, I have not seen these reports, which I 557 understand are being prepared for the information of the Cape Government, and I am not aware that they have been published by that Government.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINIt is beyond my province to inquire into a matter for which the Cape Government is solely responsible, but if the hon. Gentleman will speak to me privately I will try to get the information he wants.