§ 1. Mr. JOHN HARRISasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any Reports or representations have been received by his Department, either from the Colonial Office or from foreign Governments, as to slave-owning and slave-trading within and beyond Liberian territory; and whether it is proposed to submit any such Reports to the Council of the League of Nations?
§ The UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE for FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Mr. Ponsonby)No reports of slave-owning and slave-trading within and beyond Liberian territory have been received. A traffic, however, in contract labour from Liberian ports has been brought to the notice of His Majesty's Government from time to time, owing to the inclusion of British subjects from Sierre Leone among the gangs. Representations have been made to the Liberian Government with a view to obviate this danger, and at present only two ports, remote from British territory, are open to the traffic. Representations have been made to the Liberian Government with a view to the closing of these ports, and it is hoped that there will be no need to approach the Council of the League of Nations in this matter.
§ Mr. HARRISCan the hon. Gentleman tell us to what destination these contract labourers are sent?
§ Mr. PONSONBYI require notice of that question.
§ Mr. LINFIELDWhat is the difference between contract labour and slavery in this connection?
§ 2. Mr. BLACKasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether, in view of his announcement that Reports have been received by the Government concerning slavery in Abyssinia, and that these Reports are to be brought before the League of Nations, he will lay such Reports on the Table of the House of Commons; and whether natives of Kenya Colony, being British subjects, are among the sufferers in such slave-procuring operations?
§ Mr. PONSONBYIt would not be in the public interest to publish the Reports to which the hon. Member refers; the answer to the second part of the question is in the negative.
Mr. EDMUND HARVEYWill the hon. Gentleman consider publishing the Reports without giving the names of the officers concerned with the places indicated, otherwise than by initials, as was done previously by Sir Edward Grey?
§ Mr. J. HARRISHas it not been held hitherto in the Foreign Office that the most effective way of dealing with these abuses is by open diplomacy?
§ Sir ROBERT HAMILTONWhy is it in the public interest that this House should not know the facts, so that this curse may be stamped out?
§ Mr. PONSONBYAs I explained to a deputation on this particular question that I received recently, at which the hon. Member was present, the object being to try to put down slavery, in this particular case the publication of the Reports would defeat that object, and would involve several people concerned in very unnecessary embarrassment. In these circumstances, I have nothing to add to the answer which I have already given.
§ Mr. BLACKI beg to give notice that, owing to the unsatisfactory nature of the reply, I will call the attention of the House to the matter on the Adjournment at the earliest possible moment.
§ 10. Mr. J. HARRISasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty what naval units have been engaged during the last year in the task of liberating slaves on the African, Arabian, and other coasts; how many slave-carrying craft have been captured; and how many slaves have been set free since the beginning of 1922?
Mr. ALEXANDERTwo sloops have been stationed in the Red Sea and two sloops and a special service vessel in the Persian Gulf during the last year, part of their duties being the prevention of slave traffic by sea; in addition four destroyers were sent to the Red Sea from the Mediterranean Station in April last for this purpose; no slave-carrying craft has been captured during the period referred to; 33 slaves have been set free since the beginning of 1922.
§ Mr. HARRISWill the hon. Gentleman see that a report of these operations is published, as there is always a great deal of interest in this very beneficent work that the Navy is doing?
§ Viscount CURZONWill the hon. Gentleman represent to the Admiralty that they should not employ destroyers longer than is absolutely necessary in the Red Sea, in view of the climatic conditions?
Mr. ALEXANDERI will bring that suggestion to the notice of my hon. Friend, and the other point raised will be considered.
§ Earl WINTERTONHave not the whole of these slave-carrying craft come from Abyssinia?