§ MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether there are any proposals submitted, either by the Chartered Company of South Africa or by British citizens residing in Rhodesia, to him in regard to the future Government of Rhodesia; whether, if so, these proposals are now under discussion; whether one scheme is now under his consideration, to alter or to amend the Government of Rhodesia in connection with the Chartered Company; whether he can state what are the guarantees of interest given by the Chartered Company in connection with railroads and other such undertakings, and what is the amount of the debenture debt of the company; and whether he can give this House an assurance that no changes involving expenditure of moneys, or alteration of the terms of the Charter of the company will be made before they have been submitted to the approval of this House.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) The Answer to the first three Questions is in the negative. As to the fourth Question, I am not in a position to state what are the guarantees of interest by the British South Africa Company subsisting at the present moment nor the amount of the debenture debt of the Company outstanding, but if the hon. Member wishes I will communicate with the Company on the subject. With regard to the last Question, all I can say is that any arrangement involving an obligation on the Exchequer would, of course, be subject to the approval of Parliament, which would have all possible opportunities of discussing it.