§ 11. Dr. CHAPPLEasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies 1646 whether the Colonial Office has received from Colonial officials any information upon the existence of slavery in Abyssinia; whether Captain J. E. T. Philipps, M.C., whose statements on the subject have been recently reported in the Press, is an official in the Colonial service; and, if so, will the Secretary of State call for a report from him?
The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr, Ormsby-Gore)As explained by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in his reply on the 27th March to a question addressed to him by the hon. Member, the internal affairs of Abyssinia would not be a matter on which the Secretary of State for the Colonies would expect to receive information from Colonial officials; and, so far as I am aware, reports on slavery in that country have not been made to the Colonial Office by any such officials. The report referred to by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 27th March was a special report from the Governor of Kenya called for as the result of an inquiry received from the Foreign Office. Captain J. E. T. Philipps, who now holds a junior administrative appointment in the service of the Government of Uganda, was for a short time in Abyssinia in 1917, and has not been there recently, and, therefore, the Secretary of State does not think it desirable to call for a report from this officer.
§ Dr, CHAPPLEHas a report been received by the Colonial Office?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI believe that in 1917 a letter was received from Captain J. C. Philipps about this matter, but that is, obviously, out of date.
§ Dr. CHAPPLEDoes that report establish the existence of slavery?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREAs my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs stated the other day, domestic and other forms of slavery do exist in Abysinnia.
§ Captain BERKELEYWill the hon. Gentleman call for another report?
§ 26. Mr. LINFIELDasked the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he has information to the effect that British patrols upon the Abyssinian border have captured men raiding for slaves in certain districts of the Sudan; 1647 that the rifles of these raiders have been confiscated; and that the Abyssinian. Government stamp has frequently been found on the rifles; and whether he can make a statement on the subject?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Ronald McNeill)The reply to the first part of the hon. Member's question is in the negative and the points raised in the remainder of the question, therefore, do not arise.