HC Deb 03 May 1904 vol 134 cc263-5
MAJOR SEELY (Isle of Wight)

I beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury whether, in view of the statement made by the late Colonial Secretary that during his tenure of office he laid down the principle that the permission of the Imperial Government for the employment of Asiatic labour in South Africa should be conditional on its being clearly shown that such employment was desired by the great majority of the white inhabitants of the two Colonies, he will state whether His Majesty's Government now consider themselves bound by this pledge; and, if so, what is the nature of the evidence in their possession showing that this importation of Asiatic labour is desired by the great majority of the white inhabitants of the two Colonies.

THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY (Mr. A.J. BALFOUR,) Manchester, E.

The statement made by my right hon friend the Member for West Birmingham on the part of the Government of which he was a member was that in respect of this question of yellow labour he would endeavour as far as possible to treat the Transvaal as a self-governing colony. I am not sure that I quite appreciate the point of the Question—whether it lies in the reference to both Colonies—whether he thinks that a pledge was given that the Orange Colony should be required to give its assent to anything done in the Transvaal, and reciprocally that anything done in the Orange Colony should require the assent of the Transvaal. If that is my hon. friend's view it is not one which has ever been held by the Government, or so far as I know, by my right hon. friend.

MAJOR SEELY

May I explain that my Question is based upon a letter written by the right hon. Member for West Birmingham of which the Question is a transcript? The words in the Question are his actual words with reference to both Colonies. If the Prime Minister cannot answer the first part of the Question will be give an answer to the latter part?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

I understand the statement of policy, made not merely on my right hon. friend's own behalf but on behalf of the Government of which he was a member and which we all accept, was that he would treat these Colonies in the matter of Chinese labour and in all matters as self-governing colonies. Broadly speaking, that was the purport of the answer. Then my right hon. friend wrote a letter from which a sentence or phrase has been extracted by my hon. and gallant friend, but the letter goes on in this way— "I stated that in all matters in which Imperial interests were not directly affected, I considered the only safe and proper policy was to treat the Colonies as though they enjoyed self-government, the concession of which was only a question of time." I entirely adhere to that statement. I believe it accurately represents what was the policy of the Government when my right hon. friend was a member of it, and what is still the policy of the Government. That statement does not imply, as my hon. and gallant friend appears to think, that the Orange River Colony is to have a voice in what concerns only the Transvaal, and the Transvaal a voice in what only concerns the Orange River Colony. As regards the latter part of the Question, we have over and over again stated that, in our view at all events, all the indications point to the public opinion in the Transvaal being entirely in favour of the employment of Chinese labour, and no indication comes to us from that colony to show that there is any change of opinion, or if there be a change of I opinion, it is more than ever in the direction in which His Majesty's Government have proceeded.

MR. EUGENE WASON (Clackmannan and Kinross)

Is not the right hon. Gentleman aware that less than twelve months ago a mass meeting in the Transvaal unanimously protested against the importation of Chinese labour?

MR. A. J. BALFOUR

Yes, but that was more than ten months ago.

MR. WILLIAM REDMOND

asked the right hon. Gentleman whether, in order to set this matter at rest once and for ever, he would give an opportunity to the people of the Transvaal to give a straight vote, yes or no, upon the question?

* MR. SPEAKER

That is a Question of which notice should be given.