Mr. POINTERasked the Secretary of State whether he was aware that the Governor of Malta had appointed Mr. Howard and Dr. Mattei as the unofficial members of the Executive Council, notwithstanding that the elected members belonging to the popular party on the Legislative Council had expressed a desire to see Mr. Howard and Mr. Muscat appointed; and whether, seeing that an undertaking was given on the 27th July, 1909, on behalf of the Government, that the members of the popular party should be consulted in making these appointments, he would communicate that information to the Governor, with an intimation that that course must be followed in future?
Mr. HARCOURTThere are two parties among the elected members of the Legislative Council of Malta, and I do not know that one has more claim to be called the popular party than the other. Definitions of popularity are always difficult. The Governor advised that one member from each party—namely, Mr. Howard and Dr. Mattei—should be submitted to His Majesty for appointment to the Executive Council. I concurred, and advised His Majesty accordingly.
Mr. POINTERDid not the Under Secretary for War (Colonel Seely), when he occupied a similar position to the right hon. Gentleman, state on the 27th of July, 1909:—
The two new if embers will, I can assure them, be gentlemen who would hare been selected by their colleagues on behalf of what is known as the popular party in the island."—[OFFICIAL REPORT. 27th July. 1909, col. 1066].If there is no popular party what was the full effect of that statement to the House?