§ MR. CLAUDE HAYI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Transvaal Government propose to arrange for the recruiting of indentured labourers from the Island of Madagascar; whether any labourers have been recruited from the Island of Madgascar; and whether the Transvaal Government has negotiated direct with the French Government on the subject.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe Transvaal Government desire to ascertain whether the French Government will sanction the recruiting of native labour in Madagascar for employment in the Transvaal mines. No recruiting has taken place. Nor is the Transvaal Government negotiating direct with the French Government.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYasked what reply the Government had given to the representations of the Transvaal Government.
§ MR. CHURCHILLI really do not understand what representations the hon. Gentleman is referring to. The Transvaal Government have asked us to do certain things, and we are making inquiries to see whether we can do them or not.
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN (Worcestershire, E.)asked the right hon. Gentleman if he could lay the communications which had passed on the Table, as that would give the hon. Member the information asked for.
§ MR. CHURCHILLThe right hon. Gentleman knows I have no authority to say upon my own account what Papers shall or shall not be laid on the Table; but if a Question in that sense is put down I will bring it to the notice of my noble friend.
SIR GILBERT PARKERAre we to understand that the Transvaal Government has discovered that there are not sufficient natives for the Transvaal mines and are going to Madagascar to get them?
§ MR. CHURCHILLI cannot draw the inferences from the facts which the hon. Member suggests.
§ MR. CLAUDE HAYWhen will the right hon. Gentleman consider the question of laying Papers.
§ MR. CHURCHILLWhen the correspondence is complete.