§ MR. R. D. HOLT (Northumberland, Hexham)To ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any portion of the claims for Customs rebates against the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies, referred to in the 6th paragraph of the Third Report of the Committee of Public Accounts for the year 1906, and in paragraph 13 of the Second Report of the same Committee for this year, has been admitted by the Governments of the Colonies in question.
780 (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) The hon. Member will observe, on reference to the second passage which he mentions, that on further consideration it was decided by the Treasury that it was not open to His Majesty's Government to press the specific claims in question. A general settlement of claims as between the War Office and the new Colonies has been effected, and it was contended on behalf of the Colonies that the terms of this settlement must be held to cover all such claims.