§ MR. MACKARNESS (Berkshire, Newbury)I beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, whether, in view of the fact that in 1897 Dinizulu was appointed by the Imperial Government as an induna in Zululand with a stipend of £500 a year, under a pledge that his position and stipend should not be withdrawn without the approval of the Secretary of State, and that he has been imprisoned for nearly six months for no definite offence and his stipend has been stopped against the wish of the Secretary of State, he is in a position to state what steps it is proposed to take to give effect to the promise made to Dinizulu in 1897.
§ COLONEL SEELY; The Secretary of State has been in communication with the Natal Government on the subject, and I fear that I cannot add anything to the full information which has been given to the House.
§ MR. MACKARNESSI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the fact that in 1897 Dinizulu was appointed an induna in Zululand with an annual stipend of £500, upon a joint understanding come to between the Imperial Government, the Natal Government, and Dinizulu, that the latter should not be deprived of his post or his stipend without the approval of the Secretary of 1552 State; and whether he is in a position to state upon what ground the Natal Government justify their having now imprisoned Dinizulu for nearly six months and deprived him of his stipend without having obtained the approval of the Secretary of State.
§ COLONEL SEELYI am well aware of the conditions defining the position which Dinizulu was to hold on his return. They are reprinted on page 7 of the Blue-book Cd. 3,998 which has been recently laid. This book, and the subsequent book Cd. 4,001, contain the correspondence with the Natal Government, and I cannot at present add anything to the information there given.
§ SIR H. COTTON (Nottingham, E.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is now in a position to make a statement regarding the stoppage of Dinizulu's salary.
§ COLONEL SEELYI fear I have nothing to add to my previous Answers on the general question, but I will give some details in answer to the following Question.
MR. HERBERT (Buckinghamshire, Wycombe)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he can say up to what date Dinizulu's salary was paid; and on what date the first intimation was given to Dinizuhi by the Natal Government that it would be stopped.
§ COLONEL SEELYDinizulu's salary has not been paid since 30th November. I am not aware when Dinizulu was first informed of the decision, which I have just learned was formally taken on 23rd January, but not embodied in an Order in Council until 26th May. As the salary is payable monthly in the ordinary course, it must be presumed that Dinizulu became aware of the intention of the Natal Government not to continue payment immediately after 31st December.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has yet received a reply from the Natal Government concerning the stoppage of the stipend of the 1553 chief Dinizulu; and whether, in view of this prejudging of his case and the prejudice against his getting a fair trial, the Colonial Office will acquiesce in this treatment of a native chieftain.
§ COLONEL SEELYI will read the Secretary of State's telegram, despatched to the Governor on Saturday: "I cannot but express my great regret that, in view of all the circumstances, the payment of Dinizulu's salary should have been stopped without the assent of the Secretary of State, seeing that this action cannot be regarded otherwise than as a breach of the spirit of the conditions upon which he was permitted to return to Zululand, and inflicts hardship on the prisoner, who is involved in much expense owing to the prolongation of the legal proceedings. It is not denied that these conditions were accepted as a binding engagement between the Natal Government and His Majesty's Government in the person of the Secretary of State, and you therefore in January last, rightly sought the approval of my predecessor when your Ministers desired to suspend Dinizulu's salary. As the conditions clearly provide for the approval of the Secretary of State, he is entitled to ask for an honourable observance of their terms. I feel bound to express my disappointment that your Ministers have treated a matter of this importance, in which grave political questions, involving native interests and the good faith of the Colony towards His Majesty's Government, are concerned, on purely technical grounds. Now that the legal construction to be placed upon the conditions as affecting Dinizulu has been referred to the Supreme Court, the decision of that tribunal must be awaited.—CREWE."
§ MR. MACKARNESS (Berkshire, Newbury)asked the hon. Gentleman, in view of the admission that there had been a breach of a binding engagement between the Natal Government and the Imperial Government, when he would be in a position to state what steps the Imperial Government proposed to take.
§ COLONEL SEELYPlainly I cannot make any statement now.
§ MR. FLYNN (Cork, N.)asked the hon. Gentleman whether he could give an undertaking that, at least, from whatever source it might be found, this £500 would be continued.
§ COLONEL SEELYHis Majesty's Government are fully aware of the importance of this matter, as, I think my hon. friend will see from the telegram of the Secretary of State, but it would be inconvenient, and probably unwise, to make a definite statement.
§ MR. BYLES (Salford, N.)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will state on what grounds permission has been refused to Miss Colenso by the Natal Court to act as interpreter between Dinizulu and his legal advisers; and what provision has been made to provide a suitable interpreter in her place.
§ COLONEL SEELYI have as yet no official information on this matter.
§ MR. BYLESI beg to ask the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies if he has now ascertained that Dinizulu's boxes were broken open and the contents scattered when Colonel Mackenzie ransacked the chief's house at Usutu, and that the intelligence officers helped themselves to what they wanted, but are persistently refusing the defence even to inspect the papers found.
§ COLONEL SEELYI have no information on the subject beyond that contained in the Governor's telegrams of 27th March, and 28th April, printed at pages 109 and 179 of Cd. 3998.
§ MR. J. M. ROBERTSONWill the hon. Gentleman make inquiry?
§ COLONEL SEELYIf the hon. Gentleman will look at the telegrams to which I have referred, he will see the Question is fully answered.
§ SIR H. COTTONI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether by the law of Natal a prisoner is presumed to be innocent until his offence is proved; and, if so, why Dinizulu, although neither charged with 1555 nor found guilty of any specific offence, has been deprived of his salary as a Government induna.
§ COLONEL SEELYI understand that the view taken by the Natal Government is that a Government induna having been arrested with a view to criminal proceedings, his arrest and detention carry with it his suspension from the service of the Government and consequent suspension of salary.
§ MR. MACKARNESSDoes that apply when no definite charge is made against him?
§ COLONEL SEELYI can only say what is the view of the Natal Government. I do not know whether it is the view of His Majesty's Government.
§ MR. MACKARNESSIS there any case on record in which an induna has been suspended in this way with no definite charge made against him?
§ COLONEL SEELYI could not give an answer to that Question. Perhaps the hon. Member will put a Question down on the Paper.
§ SIR H. COTTONI beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, having regard to the prolonged and indefinite character of the criminal proceedings brought against Dinizulu, and to the action of the Natal Government in stopping his salary during these proceedings, and to the pledge of the Imperial Government that his salary shall not be withdrawn without the approval of the Secretary of State, His Majesty's Government will take steps to secure that Dinizulu has adequate means to provide for his defence.
§ COLONEL SEELYThe consideration which the hon. Member enumerates are being duly borne in mind by His Majesty's Government, but they are not at present in a position to state what action they will feel it their duty to take in the matter.