§ Mr. MORRELLasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether his attention has been called to the action taken by the municipality of Germiston, in South 225 Africa, in giving to a village of Indians established near the town a month's notice to quit the site which they now occupy, in order to move them to a new location; whether he is aware that part of the site offered to them by the municipality has been used until recently as a dumping ground for night soil and a cemetery for dead horses; that a dumping ground for slop-water is quite near it; that the stench pervading the atmosphere is intolerable, and that the site is in every way unsuitable for the dwellings of human beings; and what steps he proposes to take to see that the rights of this Indian community are respected?
Mr. HARCOURTI have no official information on the subject, but, according to the Press, the Germiston municipal location was held by the municipality on lease from a mining company, one condition of the lease being that the lessees should have no trading rights in the location, the lessors reserving to themselves four stands for trading purposes. A number of Indian traders recently having obtained trading licences the municipality determined to give notice to all holders of stands that, unless they agreed to an endorsement that the stands were for residential purposes only, they would be given notice to quit. Some of the Indians have, I am informed, petitioned the Germiston council against the new location.
§ Mr. MORRELLAs this matter involves great hardship, will the right hon. Gentleman communicate with the South African Government on the matter?
Mr. HARCOURTI am afraid that I cannot add anything to the information which I have given. I have given all the information which I possess.