§ MR. MARKHAMI beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, during his visit to South Africa, he was informed that a, valuable diamond mine had been discovered in the Transvaal; whether, seeing that Sir Arthur Lawley stated on 20th May, at the Legislative Council, that the Transvaal possessed a diamond field which bids fair to rival in richness, if not excel, any field hitherto discovered, he will say if, under the new Diamond Ordinance promulgated last Monday, half of this mine will be given to a monopolist diamond syndicate, the prospectors and owners of the surface land; and if the Governor has the power to let out the remaining half of the mine to the same syndicate on tribute; and why the general public has been excluded, in view of the fact that under the old law the right of mining for all gold and precious stones belongs to the Government.
§ MR. J. CHAMBERLAINI am aware that valuable finds of diamonds have been made in the Transvaal. I have not vet received the text of the Bill and 64 I am therefore not at present prepared to make any statement on the subject.