§ MR. HERBERT SAMUEL (Yorkshire, Cleveland)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state the number of natives employed in the mines of the Transvaal generally and of the Rand in particular, or the number employed either in the Transvaal or on the Rand, who died in the year 1903; and, if not, if he will say on what data the death rates per 1,000 have been calculated.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Mr. LYTXELTON,) Warwick and LeamingtonThe data on which are calculated the death rate per 1,000 which I quoted in the House on Wednesday last are given at page 389 of Cd. 1897 and page 58 of Cd. 2025 just issued. The two sets of figures do not relate to exactly the same areas, but the data given in the Blue-books show that the deaths for January to July, 1903, on mines in Johannesburg, Krugersdorp, Boksburg, Germiston, and Springs were 2,514, and that for August to December on these mines including these districts 1378 and also Klerksdorp, Heildelberg, and Vereeniging the deaths were 2,319.