HC Deb 18 July 1904 vol 138 cc260-1
MR. LABOUCHERE (Northampton)

To ask the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the 500 square miles in the East Africa Protectorate leased to the East Africa Syndicate, or any part of this land, includes grazing land over which the Masai have been in the habit of pasturing their flocks; and, if so, whether the Masai have acreed to surrender this right and have assented to the sale to the East Africa Syndicate; whether, in view of the report of Major Burnham to the East Africa Syndicate that the Kikuya furnish a fairly good quality of labour at the rate of four rupees per month per man, it is intended to lay clown a minimum rate of wage when natives are employed by the East African Syndicate equal at least to that paid to Chinese in the Transvaal.

(Answered by Earl Percy.) If the hon. Member will refer to Africa, No. 8 (page 7), he will find that the Answer to the first two paragraphs of his Question is in the affirmative. The Answer to the last paragraph is in the negative.