§ MAJOR SEELY (Liverpool, Abercromby)I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies if he can state whether all Returns of the Transvaal Government Mines Department will in future be open to the inspection of the public.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Secretary of State learns from Lord Selborne that the Chamber of Mines has consented to waive any objection to the publication of the mining Returns based on the ground of a previous understanding as to the figures relating to individual mines being confidential. The Mines Department is now engaged in preparing the Returns; their compilation is stated to be a work of great magnitude, and will take four or five weeks.