§ SIR C. HILLTo ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in sanctioning the grant to companies of land, mining, or railway 1041 concessions in the British Protectorates in Africa, the Secretary of State exercises powers similar to those reserved by the Egyptian Government in regard to the terms of flotation of such companies, or if not, what conditions are imposed as an essential preliminary to such grants.
§ (Answered by Mr. Churchill.) The Secretary of State is not aware of the exact nature of the powers reserved by the Egyptian Government in such cases, but various conditions, differing of course according to the special circumstances of each case, are attached to grants of this kind with a view to securing genuine development and providing as far as possible against mere company promotion. He will ascertain what is the practice of the Egyptian Government, and if any additional safeguards of practical value are suggested by it, will be glad to adopt them, as far as possible.