5. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether British subjects of Chinese descent have been excluded by the Colonial Office from the Civil and Police Services of the Straits Settlements of the Federated Malay States because they are objectionable to the rest of the population on account of their race, or because they are intellectually inferior to Europeans?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Harcourt)I can add nothing to the answers which I have given to my hon. Friend's previous questions.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTHas the right hon. Gentleman stated that his reason for excluding Chinese from the Civil Service is that the Malays object to having alien officers appointed over them in a position of authority unless they are of pure European descent?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI am afraid that if my hon. Friend and I were to pursue this matter further we should come under the rule against repetition.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTIs the reason for that answer that the right hon. Gentleman is unwilling or unable to explain his policy?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThat is really a matter of Debate. I should recommend the hon. Gentleman to raise these questions when the Colonial Office Vote comes up. It will be far easier to raise it then.
§ Mr. HARCOURTVery soon, I hope.
§ Mr. SPEAKERAs long as the hon. Gentleman confines himself to facts, of course he is entitled to ask questions, but the supplementary questions which he asks are not facts. They are as to the opinions of the right hon. Gentleman and as to the causes of his policy and so on, and not in regard to the facts. As long as he asks for information in regard to facts, of course there will be no objection.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTMay I direct your attention to the question I have asked? It is on a question of fact. I asked whether the right hon. Gentleman's objection was on racial grounds or on the ground of intellectual inferiority?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman referred the hon. Member to a former reply. If the hon. Member will refer to the former reply, he will be able to ascertain the view of the right hon. Gentleman.
6. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what 123 is the Hindu population of the Settlement of Penang and also the Federated Malay States; and whether he will state the reason why, while a bank holiday has been fixed in Penang on the Hindu festival of Tai-pusum, no provision whatever in the matter of public holidays has been made in the Federated Malay States for the religious festivals of Hindus?
§ Mr. HARCOURTThe number of persons at the 1911 Census who professed the Hindu religion was 30,957 in Penang, and 140,068 in the Federated Malay States. The provision of public holidays is a matter solely for the local Governments, and I have no information as to their reasons.
7. Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the reports of the Director of Education in the Straits Settlements with regard to the Queen's scholarships are public documents; whether it would be contrary to the public interest to publish them; whether this House has any right of control over the administration of the Crown Colonies; whether he will state on what grounds he refuses to ascertain for the satisfaction of a Member of this House whether the Director of Education for the Straits Settlements has ever advised the abolition of the Queen's scholarships; and whether the abolition was carried against his advice?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI am not aware whether the Director of Education has made any special reports on this subject. There are occasional references to the matter in his annual reports which are published. As regards the third part of the question, the control of this House over the administration of the Crown Colonies takes the form of control over me, and my hon. Friend seems to exercise his full share of the powers of the House in that respect. The answer to the fourth and fifth parts is that, as I have already informed my hon. Friend on several occasions, I regard this matter as one for the Colonial Government, with whose discretion I am not prepared to interfere.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTMay I ask if the right hon. Gentleman is not aware whether the Director of Education has made any report on the subject, and, if not, will he ascertain whether the Director of Education has made any report which can be published?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI do not think I have anything to add to what I have stated.
Mr. MacCALLUM SCOTTIf any reports have been made which are public property, have I not the right as a Member of this House to ask to see them?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI have already said that any reports which have been published locally will be at the disposal of the hon. Gentleman. He will be afforded the opportunity of reading them.