§ MR. STAVELEY-HILL (Staffordshire, Kingswinford)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to; the fact that correspondence from the High Commissioner in South Africa, with reference to the amount of administration of the Compensation Fund, remained unanswered for several months, occasioning a loss of £41,420 7s. 11d. to the Imperial Exchequer; and whether steps have been taken to expedite replies in the future to communications received by the Colonial Office.
§ COLONEL SEELYThe reference is I presume, to Section 10 of the Second Report of Public Accounts Committee just laid. It is quite a mistake to suppose that any loss of public money occurred or that any additional charge was thrown upon the Exchequer through the action of the Colonial Office, for whatever may have been the merits of the question whether administrative expenses could properly he charged to the fun I the Colonial Government had unquestionably full power to spend the money in increasing the compensation pail to protected burghers. I would refer my hon. friend as regards this compensation fund to the Report of the Central Judicial Committee printed in Cd. 3028. I must deny that there was improper delay in the matter on the pert of the Colonial Office. The money has since been revoted by Parliament.