§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSONI beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that the penalties inflicted on landowners in Egypt for infractions of rules take the form of withdrawal of irrigation water supply for a given number of days; whether he can state the number of cases in which such penalties were inflicted during the past year; and whether, seeing that such penalties are inexpedient, as having the effect of seriously checking agricultural production, he will instruct the British Agent at Cairo to advise the substitution of fines and other penalties of a less economically injurious character.
§ SIR EDWARD GREYI have no information on this subject; I do not consider it advisable to instruct the British Agent to interfere more than is necessary in matters of administrative detail.
§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSONCan the right hon. Gentleman give us some idea of the lines of instruction beyond which he does not consider it necessary to go?
§ SIR EDWARD GREYIt would be exceedingly difficult to lay down a definition, but our general policy is to interfere as little as possible when you have good men in charge.