§ 27. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the Rhodesian Legislative Council passed a resolution whereby the costs of preparing the land inquiry for the inhabitants and people of Rhodesia were to be defrayed from administrative revenue; and whether he can state the amount of the expenditure incurred by the white settlers and natives, respectively?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Lieut.-Colonel Amery)A resolution was passed by the Legislative Council of Southern Rhodesia in 1914 requesting the Administration to provide a sum of £5,000 to defray the cost of presenting the case of the inhabitants and people of Rhodesia to the Privy Council; out the total cost of the case presented by the elected members amounted ultimately, I understand, to about £10,000. The costs incurred by the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines Protection Society in respect of the case presented by them on behalf of certain natives amounted, I believe, to about £7,000.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODAm I to understand from that answer that the costs incurred by the white settlers have been paid out of administrative revenue, and the costs incurred by those who represented the natives, have not been so met?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI have explained it. Up to £5,000 the costs incurred by the elected members on behalf of the inhabitants of Rhodesia have, so far, been met out of moneys provided; but the whole question as to administrative revenue will come before Lord Cave's Commission. The cost of the case presented by the independent body, the Aborigines Protection Society, have been paid by themselves.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODAlthough the natives contribute to this administrative revenue not one penny-piece has been used to protect their interests, which have been left to a private body of people?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYWell, Sir, I cannot accept that for a moment. The fact that the elected members are elected in the main by the white settlers, and that only a small number of natives have the franchise at the moment, does not necessarily mean that if the issue had gone in favour of the view of the elected members that the interests of the natives would have been neglected. These interests are, under Order in Council, fully safeguarded by the Crown; that position existed before, and obtains to-day.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENWhy are the natives not getting their costs paid; are they not the original inhabitants of the country?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYIt is not a question of costs to the natives. A philanthropic society, being of opinion, for its own reasons, that the interests of 531 the natives were not sufficiently safeguarded, not even by the Crown, introduced their own case in Court—which is their own affair—and they have paid for it. Even so, I think the interests of the natives are, and will be, fully safeguarded by the Crown.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODIs it not the fact that the Aborigines Protection Society put their case before the Court, and provided it with the facts on which their judgment was based?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYNo, Sir. I think the society offered to put their case, and the Court was quite willing to hear it.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODThat is not so.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENSeeing that the work of the Aborigines Protection Society served a very useful purpose in bringing the facts before the Court, should they not have had some of the costs they incurred?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI am only trying to make the position clear. The interests of the natives are protected and safeguarded by the Crown; in which respect they are as well off as before hearing the advice of the Aborigines Protection Society.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENWhy, then, was not the evidence of the Aborigines Protection Society ruled out of Court?
§ Mr. SPEAKERAny further questions had better be put down.
§ 28. Colonel WEDGWOODasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether the British South Africa Company has refused to allow the Legislative Council of Rhodesia to pay the expenses incurred by the natives in preparing evidence for the Rhodesian land inquiry, and has in a written statement declared that such costs should be paid by the philanthropic public; whether this attitude has at any time received the approval of His Majesty's Government; and, if not, whether a proposal would be sympathetically considered to submit to Lord Cave's Commission the reasons which exist for making the costs of the natives, like those of other parties to the inquiry, a public charge?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI am aware that the British South Africa Company 532 have refused to ask the Legislative Council of Southern Rhodesia to vote the costs incurred by the Anti-Slavery and Aborigines-Protection Society in presenting the case to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on behalf of certain natives. The case was taken up by the society entirely on its own responsibility, and neither the present Secretary of State nor his predecessor has felt able to take any action in the matter. I understand that Lord Cave's Commission have agreed to hear the society upon such matters as may come within the terms of reference to the Commission.
§ Colonel WEDGWOODMay I ask whether it is a fact that the Legislative Council of Rhodesia wished to pay these expenses, and is it also a fact that the Commission, that represented the natives, backed up the British South Africa Company in refusing to allow this offer to be made?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI do not understand that the Legislative Council did ask that.