§ MR. MACKARNESS (Berkshire, Newbury)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Secretary of State is aware that in the recent proceedings for a habeas corpus taken by Li Kui Yu, in the Supreme Court of the Transvaal, on March 30th, against Mr. Jameson, the superintendent of foreign labour, Mr. Jameson deposed on oath that he had reported to Lord Selborne that Robert Herman Witthauer, the compound manager in the Consolidated Langlaagte Mine, had admitted to him, in the presence of witnesses, that he had himself flogged coolies, and that Li Kui Yu was not to blame; and whether he can say why, in the face of this admission of guilt by Witthauer in the presence of witnesses, the law officers of the Crown in the Transvaal have so far failed to institute criminal proceedings against him.
§ * MR. CHURCHILLThe Secretary of State has seen Mr. Jameson's statement. The Secretary of State is informed that the law officers of the Transvaal Government doubt whether the evidence as yet obtained is sufficient for ensuring a successful prosecution, but he has telegraphed urging Lord Selborne to cause every effort to be made to prosecute.