§ MR. WALSH (Lanarkshire, Ince)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that, notwithstanding Mr. Lyttelton's telegram of 27th October, intimating that it would be good policy for the mine-owners voluntarily to stop the importation of coolie labour for six months, a greater number of licences were issued in the ensuing three weeks than had been granted in the previous nine months; and whether he is able to lay before the House any other information respecting this increase of licences.
1286 (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) If my hon. friend will refer to page 8, of Cd. 2788, he will see that he is mistaken in supposing that the number for which licences were issued in November exceeded that for the previous nine months; but they were certainly in excess of the number issued in the preceding six months. The Secretary of State is not in possession of any further particulars of a material character in addition to what is published. The expression by Mr. Lyttelton of his opinion as to what would be a prudent policy for the mine-owners voluntarily to adopt, was not apparently regarded by the Lieutenant Governor as fo[...] the nature of a definite instruction to cease to act upon his discretion without consulting the Secretary of State.