§ Mr. GUINNESSasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies on what date the present land laws of the British East Africa Protectorate came into force, for what term leases are granted to settlers thereunder, and how many applications for land have been dealt with in each of the last five years?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Harcourt)The answer to the first question is the 1st of October, 1902; to the second, 99 years, with a revision of rent at the end of the thirty-third and sixty-sixth years. Half-yearly returns of the land grants made from the 1st of January, 1906, to the 30th of June, 1910, will be found appended to the reports on the Protectorate for 1905–6 and the subsequent years, which have been presented to Parliament. During the half-year ended the 31st of December, 1910, the return for which has not yet been published, 121 such grants were made.
§ Mr. GUINNESSIf the Government maintain the right to raise the rent at the end of thirty-three years, is not that from the point of view of the tenants the same as thirty-three years only?
§ Mr. HARCOURTNo, Sir.
§ Mr. WEDGWOODIs it not the fact that the rent is only raised on the unimproved value of the land and not on any improvement whatever?
§ Mr. HARCOURTYes, Sir.
§ Mr. ASHLEYAre we to understand that there are no modifications?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI have stated exactly what the facts are in my reply.
§ Mr. GUINNESSasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a parallel to the system of land tenure now in force in the British East Africa Protectorate can be found in any other Crown Colony or Protectorate?
§ Mr. HARCOURTYes, Sir.
§ Mr. GUINNESSCan the right hon. Gentleman say in which Colony?
§ Mr. HARCOURTIn Northern Nigeria.
§ Mr. WEDGWOODIs it not the fact that the same regulations are to be found in all the German Colonies?
§ Mr. GUINNESSasked whether the right hon. Gentleman was aware that the present Home Secretary, when Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, stated that the settlers in the British East Africa Protectorate should hold their land on terms making it a marketable and mortgageable security; and whether he will explain why banks in the Protectorate are not willing to make advances on the security of unimproved land held on lease?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI do not know whether these words were used by my right hon. Friend, but they undoubtedly appeared in Lord Elgin's despatch laying down the policy of revisable leases of ninety-nine years—a policy with which these words are fully consistent. I have no information as to the action of banks in the Protectorate.
§ Mr. GUINNESSWas this system submitted to the Legislative Council?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI should like notice of that question.