Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the receipt was ever acknowledged of a petition sent from Lagos, in December, 1907, praying the attention of Lord Elgin to certain expropriations of land and buildings in Southern Nigeria; whether a reply 4 was ever sent to the petition, which purported to be signed by over 2,000 signatories, including a bishop and leading lawyers, medical practitioners, and others; and whether, in view of the repeated statement still believed in the Colony of South Nigeria that this petition was completely ignored, he will now, after a lapse of over two years, issue some statement on the subject?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Colonel Seely)The petition referred to was received by the Secretary of State through the Governor in February, 1908, and before the end of that month a despatch was sent to the Governor requesting him to inform the petitioners that he had received and considered the petition, but that he saw no reason for reconsidering his decision not to intervene in the matter.
Mr. KINGasked whether a Limitation of Suits Ordinance had been introduced in order to be passed into law in Southern Nigeria; whether, at its introduction, the Attorney-General of the Colony declared that its introduction was a mystery to himself; whether the Chief Justice of the Colony, the members of the local Bar, and the local Chamber of Commerce had all addressed letters of protest against the Bill; whether when this Ordinance was first published the customary statement of objects and reasons for a new Ordinance was entirely wanting; and whether the Governor, Sir Walter Egerton, would be instructed, in view of the feeling in the Colony, to drop the proposed measure?
§ Colonel SEELYThe Bill referred to has passed its Second Reading. The Attorney-General did not state that its introduction was a mystery to himself, but on moving the First Reading he pointed out that opportunities for full discussion would arise on the Second Reading, and in Committee, and that the Bill was a somewhat difficult one to master in detail, so much so that it was "more or less a mystery to himself." The examination of the Bill, and a statement of its objects and reasons were accordingly deferred to the Second Reading. It is true that the Chief Justice and others have expressed the opinion that the proposed legislation is unnecessary. The Governor states that he is prepared to drop the Bill should the general feeling of the community throughout the Administration be strongly against it, and steps are being taken to ascertain the views of the European merchants in all 5 the principal ports on the subject, as well as these of the more important of the Native Courts.
Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Colonial Office has received a copy of the resolution passed at a recent public meeting at Lagos, attended by over 2,000 people, protesting against the imposition tion of ecclesiastical expenditure upon Southern Nigeria for the benefit of a few official families; and whether he will take this resolution into consideration with a view to immediately reduce and to finally terminate this expenditure?
§ Colonel SEELYNo copy of the resolution referred to has been received at the Colonial Office.