§ 10. Mr. BROADasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has determined the constitution of the Committee which he is setting up to inquire into land questions in West and East Africa; and, if so, whether he can now give the names of the chairman and members of the Committee, and the terms of reference?
Mr. THOMASThe Committee will consist of the Right Honourable Lord Islington as chairman, with the following members:
The Committee's terms of reference are are:
- Lieut.-Commander R. T. H. Fletcher, the hon. Member for Basingstoke.
- Mr. J. S. W. Milne, the hon. Member for Kidderminster.
- Mr. E. D. Morel, the hon. Member for Dundee.
- Sir Walter Napier.
- Mr. C. Strachey.
- Mr. A. Wigglesworth, and
- Mr. Leonard Woolf.
To consider the systems of native tenure and usage of land existing in the British Colonies not possessing responsible government, Protectorates, and mandated areas in (a) West and (b) East Africa (exclusive of Somaliland); the laws now in force therein and the effect of their application upon those systems, particularly in regard to the transfer of land to non-natives:To report what amendments, if any, to those laws and what modifications, if any, in local usage are desirable, having regard to the present and future well-being of the native population and to the economic development of the Dependencies concerned.