§ MR. WEIRI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that the Blantyre Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce has entered a protest against recruiting for labour for mines on the ground that the labour supply in the British East Africa Protectorate is already insufficient for local requirements; and, in view of this protest, will he consider the desirability of discouraging any attempt to obtain labour for the South African mines from this source.
§ LORD CRANBORNEA petition has been received from the British Central Africa Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce to the effect stated. The experimental recruiting of 1,000 natives from the British Central Africa Protectorate has already been authorised, and pending the result of this experiment it is not proposed to take any further steps in this direction.