§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSONI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he his aware that the claim of Dr. Chiveiback, formerly Red Cross medical officer with the Boer forces in the South African War, for compensation in respect of money and property taken from him by British military authorities, has neither been satisfied nor shown to have been ill-founded; and whether, seeing that the Central Judicial Commission has ceased to sit, the Colonial Office will take steps to have this claim freshly adjudicated upon.
§ MR. CHURCHILLOn the evidence before them, the Central Judical Commission felt bound to disallow the claim, and the funds provided for such claims have been fully distributed. In so far as there was subsequent corroborative evidence of cash to that amount having been taken from Dr. Chiveiback, a sum of £90 has been paid to him by the War Office in the special circumstances. As at present advised, the Secretary of State does not consider that Dr. Chiveiback's 642 claim for war losses can be judged anew, as it would be liable to be quoted as a precedent for re-opening other claims and would involve the provision of further funds by Parliament. This His Majesty's Government do not feel able at this time to recommend to the House.