§ 12. Mr. HEWINSasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will state which West Indian Colonies have accepted the preferential trade agreement with Canada; whether His Majesty's Government has approved; when the agreement is to be submitted to the Canadian Parliament; whether, since the conclusion of the agreement, proposals have been made for the federation of the 332 Colonies of the West Indies; and what is the attitude of His Majesty's Government to such a proposal?
Mr. HARCOURTThe agreement has been accepted by the Legislatures of Trinidad, Barbados, British Guiana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Antigua, St. Kitts-Nevis, Dominica, and Montserrat, and has been approved by His Majesty's Government, subject to its acceptance by the Canadian Parliament, to which it will no doubt be submitted shortly. No definite proposals for the federation of the West Indian Colonies have come before me; but in the event of any such scheme meeting with general approval in the Colonies concerned it would, I need hardly say, receive very careful consideration from His Majesty's Government.