§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, whether he has reports regarding the steps taken for the suppression of malarial fever by the sanitary authorities in the Bahamas, Barbados, Jamaica, and St. Kitts-Nevis; whether these reports show that nothing of any consequence has been done in this direction by those authorities; whether the reports have been submitted to either of the Schools of Tropical Medicine in this country, and with what result?
§ Colonel SEELYI would refer my hon. Friend to the Report of the Advisory Committee for the Tropical Diseases Research Fund for the year 1907 (Cd. 3992), at pages 29, 30, 31 and 32 of which he will find the reports for which he asks. These reports show, I regret to say, that nothing of any consequence had been done in the direction indicated at that time. The reports in question have, with the rest of the matter contained in the Blue Book, been brought to the notice of the Schools of Tropical Medicine, but action to be effective must needs be taken by the Governments concerned, with the co-operation of the general community.
§ Mr. RAMSAY MACDONALDIs he aware of the steps that have been taken to secure that co-operation?
§ Colonel SEELYWe will do all we can, and if my hon. Friend will put down a further question about the subject I will be glad to answer. It is the fact that in small Colonies the people do not take the same view as we do of these matters. Therefore it is difficult to get those measures carried out however beneficent they are when they are carried out.