§ 37. Mr. SWANasked the Secretary for Foreign Affairs whether he can give the number of casualties among the Maltese and the British in the riots which have lately occurred in Malta; whether he has any information showing that the riot was provoked by the action of some British officers; and whether His Majesty's Government will see fit to institute an immediate inquiry into the causes of the trouble?
Mr. HARMSWORTHThis question should have been addressed to the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies, but as he is away I have been asked to take it for him. Three Maltese were killed and eight wounded; no casualties have been reported among the troops, but several were severely handled. The allegation that the riot was provoked by any officers 371 is entirely without foundation. An inquiry into the riot is proceeding in Malta, and the Secretary of State for the Colonies is awaiting the Governor's Report.