§ MR. HAROLD COX (Preston)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether His Majesty's Government have yet arrived at any decision with regard to the now Transvaal Ordinance which proposes to inflict disabilities upon His Majesty's Indian subjects resident in the Transvaal.
§ * MR. CHURCHILLThe Secretary of State has informed the High Commissioner that he is not able, without further consideration, to advise His Majesty that the Ordinance referred to should be brought into operation, and it will therefore not be further proceeded with at present.
§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILLI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the report of the proceedings of the deputation which waited on the Secretary of State on behalf of British Indians in the Transvaal on Thursday, 8th November, and appeared in The Times newspaper on the next day, was communicated to The Times by any official of the Colonial Office; and, if so, seeing that no reporters of the Press were allowed to be present, and that the members of the deputation were bound to secrecy, why this report was communicated to The Times and not to those organs of the Press which are supporters of His Majesty's Government.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe report was not communicated to The 'Times by any official of the Colonial Office.
§ SIR H. COTTON (Nottingham, E.)May I ask whether at the conference
† See col. 57–8.583 Lord Elgin said it was at his wish that no reporters were present. How in those circumstances did a verbatim report appear in The Times the next morning?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI can only say that no representatives of the Press in the ordinary senso—no reporters—were present, and that no report of the proceedings was supplied by the Colonial Office. The hon. Member is as able as I am to find out how it was the report appeared.
§ SIR E. CARSON (Dublin University)Was any report taken at the time for the Colonial Office?
§ SIR H. COTTONWere there not two shorthand reporters taking a verbatim report?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI understand from the Question the hon. Member has put to mo that it was at Lord Elgin's desire no reporters were present.
§ SIR H. COTTONShorthand writers.
§ MR. CHURCHILLIf any member of the deputation or anybody else present took shorthand notes, that is another matter.
§ SIR H. COTTONWere not official shorthand writers there?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI do not know, I was not present; but if so there will be a record kept at the office; but the report, however collected, was not communicated from the Colonial Office.
§ MR. HAROLD COXMay I ask was there not a similar incident in relation to a deputation to the India Office?
§ MR. MORLEY (Montrose Burghs)A report appeared, but it was prepared and issued without the authority or knowledge of the India Office. We had, of course, our own official reporter and a report for our own use.