§ SIR W. EVANS GORDON (Tower Hamlets, Stepney)I beg to ask the Prime Minister whether the Government proposes to prosecute under the Official Secrets Act the se persons who, after inquiry, are found to have communicated to the Press confidential documents relating to the Chinese coolies in the Transvaal.
§ THE PRIME MINISTER AND FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY, (Sir H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN, Stirling Burghs)No, there is no such intention.
§ SIR W. EVANS GORDONAre we to understand that no steps are being taken to discover the persons by whom these confidential documents of the Government were betrayed to the Press?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI do not see what can be done.
§ LORD BALCARRESCan no efforts be made to detect the se who are responsible for this breach of confidence?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANWe have not applied to Scotland Yard yet.
§ * MR. MACKARNESS (Berks, Newbury)Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that Lord Harris, chairman of the Consolidated Gold Fields, yesterday reported to the shareholders the evidence of a Dr. Watt, alleged to have been given before Mr. Bucknill's Commission? Who authorised Lord Harris to make that revelation?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI have no knowledge at all of the channel through which the se communications have been made. Evidently there has been more than one channel.
§ SIR W. EVANS GORDONI beg to ask the Prime Minister whether, in view of the fact that access to the secret and confidential Report on certain immoral practices among the Chinese labourers in the Transvaal has been granted to one Member of this House, similar privileges will be allowed to other persons who may desire to peruse the documents in question.
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo, Sir, that would mean abandoning the secret and confidential character of the Report.
§ MR. T. L. CORBETTWas it made a condition of the Report's being shown to an hon. Member that he should only disclose its contents to Members on his own side of the House?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI do not think that was made a condition, but the matter has been fully explained already in reply to innumerable Questions, and I do not think anything will be gained by saying anything more.
§ SIR W. EVANS GORDONIs there any particular reason why privileges of this kind should be given to one Member of the House and not to another?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANIt is perfectly obvious to everyone who knows the circumstances that the hon. Member to whom these Papers were shown was the hon. Member who specially called the attention of the House to this matter, and out of courtesy to him, it may have been by error—I cannot say, and I do not pronounce an opinion—he was allowed to see the Report and the evidence. But, of course, if the matter is to be kept confidential at all, we cannot go any further.
§ SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)Was the Blue-book not marked "Strictly confidential" on the outside?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANAt the time I saw it I do not think it was a Blue-book, and I do not think it had any outside.
§ SIR HOWARD VINCENTHad it any mark inside?
§ SIR H. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThat I cannot say. I received it as confidential; I treated it as confidential; but whether it was marked "confidential" or not I do not know.
§ SIR HOWARD VINCENTAs a Cabinet Paper?
§ MR. FLAVINCan the Prime Minister say what interesting details there are in this book which hon. Members above the gangway are so anxious to see?