§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)To ask the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will explain why the walls of the waiting-room at the Colonial Office are crowded with placards, including an advertisement of special tours to Jamaica, by Messrs. Elder, Dempster, and Co.'s boats, a time-table of the firm's West African service, photographs of the steamships "Targerah" and "Nigeria," belonging to this firm, illustrations of their buoys, two drawings of the Lagos Office of the Bank of West Africa, a drawing of Messrs. Elder, Dempster, and Co.'s steamer "Porto Novo," and an advertisement almanac of the African Oil Mills, Limited; and will he say whether these advertisements were placed with his sanction in the waiting-room of the Colonial Office, in which there are no advertisements of other firms.
(Answered by Mr. Secretary Lyttelton.) The waiting-room in question is that used by visitors having business to transact in connection with the West and East African Colonies and Protectorates, and it is for their convenience, as travellers to and from these countries, that such placards are exhibited in the waiting-rooms of the Colonial Office. The West African waiting-room is not exceptionally treated, nor is any preference shown to particular firms, and the placards referred to by the hon. Member are not the only ones in that room.