§ MR. J. D. WHITE (Dumbartonshire)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of. 1321 State for the Colonies whether his attention has been directed to the fact that the prospectus of the British West Africa Produce Company, Limited, after referring to concessions covering an area of more than 4,000 square miles, states that with a view to a sufficient supply of native labour the chiefs have under the said concessions undertaken to sow, plant, and cultivate; and whether steps will be taken to insure that these arrangements do not involve forced labour on the part of the natives. I beg also to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been directed to the prospectus of the British West Africa Produce Company, Limited; whether that company holds from paramount chiefs concessions covering an area of upwards of 4,000 square miles in the Protectorate of Sierra Leone for ninety-nine years from 1901; whether the chairman of that company was Governor of Sierra Leone from 1894 to 1900; whether he can say what is the nature of these concessions, and whether they are such as to give the company the monopoly of rubber production in that area; and whether these concessions have been approved by the Governor of Sierra Leone or the Colonial Office.
§ SIR J. JARDINE (Roxburghshire)At the same time may I ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the notice of the Colonial Office has been drawn to the statements made in the prospectus filed by the British West Africa Produce Company, Limited, dated 10th October, 1906, under the name of the chairman, Sir Frederic Cardew, described as Governor of Sierra Leone from 1894 to 1900, and other directors, regarding twenty concessions of agricultural and trading rights relating to territories covering an area of upwards of 4,000 square miles in the Protectorate of Sierra Leone; whether he can state how many paramount chiefs granted these concessions; whether they are valid without the sanction of the Government of Sierra Leone; whether these chiefs have become individually responsible to the limited company for the supply of native labourers; and whether they may lawfully force natives to cooperation in labour by virtue of these documents.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe attention of the Secretary of State for the Colonies has been directed to the prospectus of the British West Africa Produce Company, Limited. The concessions in question were not granted or approved by the Government, but the Colonial Office was aware from correspondence with Mr. Brunner that they had been obtained. Sir F. Cardew, who is named as chairman of the company, was Governor of Sierra Leone from 1894 to 1900. The concessions appear to be of the character of agreements with chiefs to the effect that they will cultivate and will sell only to the concessionaires certain agricultural products, not being products already cultivated in their territories, the seeds of which are to be supplied to them by the concessionaires. It is not stated that they give the concessionaires any monopoly or exclusive rights of cultivation or of rubber production in those areas. The concessions appear to be of a kind which does not, under the law of the Protectorate, require the approval of the Governor of Sierra Leone or the Secretary of State for the Colonies. With regard to the supply of native labour, I may say that the chiefs can only act in accordance with their rocognised authority under native law and custom, which does not enable them to requisition labour except for certain established public purposes and to an extent, strictly limited by the consent of their people, upon the chiefs' own farms. These concessions in no way enlarge or affect the powers of the chiefs in regard to such labour. Any chief abusing his powers and oppressing his subjects by illegal forced labour is liable to removal from his office by the Governor, whose duty it-will be to take care that no such abuse occurs.
§ MR. SMEATON (Stirlingshire)May I ask whether in order to put a stop to objectionable transactions of this kind, the hon. Gentleman will consider the advisability, when any man is appointed to a governorship of a colony, of imposing a condition on retirement from the governorship that he shall not undertake transactions of this kind or exploit the resources of his colony on the Stock Exchange.
§ MR. CHURCHILLAs to whether these transactions are objectionable or 1323 not, I am not led to a conclusion by any information put at the disposal of the Colonial Office. If the hon. Member has any information which can prove that these proposals are objectionable in their character, perhaps he will give me the opportunity of showing it to the Secretary of State. As to the general question of persons employed in the public service being controlled after leaving the public service, I must have notice of the Question before I can say whether any general rule can be laid down.
§ SIR. J. JARDINECan the hon. Gentleman explain what individual responsibility to the company these chiefs have undertaken?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI have explained that the chiefs are to sell to the company the agricultural products of certain seeds which are to be given to them by the company. That appears to me to be an operation which is not in itself improper or objectionable, and I think we should hinder the development of Nigeria if we excluded private enterprise when it does not conflict with the already strict regulations which the Government have laid down.
§ SIR J. JARDINEBut in what way live they responsible?
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe chiefs are responsible in the same way in which every person is responsible for a contract into which he enters.