§ MR. MARKHAM (Nottinghamshire, Mansfield)To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has received any communication from the Governor of Natal or the Natal Government relating to the Church Properties Bill, which was printed in the Natal Gazette of last March; whether, seeing that this Bill seeks to give power to the Bishops of the Church of South Africa to acquire the property of the Church of England, will he say for what purposes and on what conditions, on the granting of self-government to Natal, 1208 Crown lands were given by the Imperial Government to the Church of England in Natal; and, seeing that the Archbishop of Cape Town and five of the Bishops of the Church of South Africa openly practise sacramental confession and perform masses for the dead, will he decline to sanction this transfer of Church of England property to these Bishops.
Answered by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain.) The answer to the first part of this Question is in the negative. As regards the remainder, the information in my possession does not enable me to state whether any Crown lands were on the granting of self-government given to the Church of England in Natal, and I must decline to express any opinion before the Bill is received as to the advice which it will be my duty to tender to His Majesty in respect of it.