§ 63. Captain ORMSBY-GOREasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give directions that in future the Annual Colonial Reports dealing with Ceylon, Straits Settlements, Malta, Cyprus, British Guiana, Jamaica, Barbadoes, and the other principal Crown colonies, shall include a, summary of the principal political developments and activities in the colonies in addition to the skeleton abstract of statistical information which now composes these Reports; and whether he will take the most recent Moral Material Progress Report issued by the Government of India as a model in this respect?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYColonial Annual Reports have always contained, in 1316 addition to a brief summary of important legislation and educational progress, a section devoted to observations on the social and general condition of the territory, including references to any important changes or events which may have occurred in the year under review. The improvement of these Reports was carefully considered by a Committee appointed by the Secretary of State's predecessor, and as a result of their recommendations it is hoped that the Reports will, in future, be made more interesting, and the statistics which accompany them more valuable for trade.
§ Earl WINTERTONWill the hon. and gallant Gentleman give special consideration to these Reports, particularly in the case of the British West Indies and British Guiana, where there is great dissatisfaction amongst the civilian inhabitants owing to the lack of interest taken by this country in their progress and in their commercial and political development?
§ Lieut.-Colonel AMERYI entirely agree that it is most desirable that this country should take the keenest possible interest in the West Indies.