§ MR. CARLILE (Hertfordshire, St. Albans)I beg to ask the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will say on what page of Command Paper 4353 the information is given of the number of civil servants of British birth in the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies who, while being retained in the employment of the Colonial Governments, have had their status, rank, and salaries reduced since the grant of self-government to these Colonies, in order that other persons of Boer or Hollander birth, having a less period of service and experience, should be promoted over them; and whether, should this information not be available, he will obtain it from the Governments of those Colonies.
§ THE UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE COLONIES (Colonel SEELY,) Liverpool, AbercrombyI referred to the Paper in my reply to the hon. Gentleman last Monday as containing all the information on the subject of changes in the Transvaal and Orange River Colony Civil Service which His Majesty's Government are in a position to supply.
§ MR. CARLILEWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman get the information asked for which is not in the hands of the Government?
§ COLONEL SEELYI could hardly ask Lord Crewe to make the request in the terms of the Question.
§ MR. CARLILEBut the information asked for is quite as important as that contained in Command Paper 4353.
§ COLONEL SEELYThe request implies a reflection on the motives of the Government of two self-governing Colonies—an imputation of motives which I very much regret.
§ SIR GILBERT PARKER (Gravesend)May I ask if information which is only partial reflects credit while that which is complete reflects discredit on those who ask for it?
§ COLONEL SEELYI do not quite know what the hon. Member means. I say this question implies a motive—["No, no"]—which ought not to be imputed to the two Governments.