§ 23. Mr. STEWARTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether a proposal of the Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce to the effect that Germans should not be allowed to return to the Colony for some time after the conclusion of the War was rejected by the Legislative Council, the whole official vote being cast against it; whether this vote represents the view of the Government at home; and whether Germans after the War will be free to re-enter our Crown Colonies, especially those where there is a large native population, in view of the risk of a repetition of hostile German intrigue, which was used so much to our detriment in the past in India, Ceylon," the Straits Settlements, and elsewhere?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Long)I have seen a report, from which it appears that the Chinese members of Council and the official members voted against the proposal. The second and third parts of the question raise matters of future policy on which I would prefer not to express an opinion at this moment, but my hon. Friend may rest assured that the matter, of which this is only a part, is engaging my anxious attention.