Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will instruct the Governor of Southern Nigeria that compensation should be awarded out of Government funds to the relatives of the native recently shot by Mr. H. Tressing, who was at the time an official in the Government service, and was convicted of manslaughter by the court, but not punished?
§ Colonel SEELYI do not consider that this is a case in which further compensation should be paid from public funds, in view of the fact that no recommendation to this effect was made by the Supreme Court before which Mr. Tressing was tried.
Mr. KINGIs the right hon. Gentleman aware that only £3 has been received by the relatives of this man, who suffered in a most peculiar and unfortunate way, and who was the breadwinner of his family?
§ Colonel SEELYOh, yes. He certainly suffered very much—he was killed. I 2344 think £3 was a very small sum to give him, but there are legal difficultes. It is a very long time since this occurred.
Mr. KINGasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will instruct the Governor of Southern Nigeria that compensation should be awarded out of Government funds to the individual members of the church congregations at Imuku and Isere recently disturbed by Dr. Braund Kent, a Government official, who forced them to go out of church on Sunday and carry loads for him?
§ Colonel SEELYCompensation was offered by the Governor, and the offer was referred by Bishop Oluwele to his church council. The Bishop's reply was that the council were grateful for the kind spirit in which the offer was made, but unanimously agreed not to accept it.