COLONIAL AND MIDDLE EASTERN SERVICES. (Hansard, 1 March 1935)

§ The SECRETARY of STATE, for the COLONIES (Sir Philip Cunliffe-Lister)
This Estimate falls under three heads. The first is allowances for governors. We always estimate on the assumption that no unexpected retirements will take place, but unfortunately several governors had to retire on grounds of ill-health. That means that we have not only the expenses of a new governor going out, but the expenses of the retiring governor coming home. Then there is the further expense of the transfer of the best officer who can be found to fill the vacancy. 1531 It actually means that we get eight or nine cases of expenditure where there would not be any expenditure in the ordinary course. All this expenditure is on the prescribed scale. Another item is for £5,500 for boundary commissions. Anyone who occupies this office knows how difficult it is to estimate the cost of a boundary commission. You do not know until you are on the spot exactly how long and detailed the work will be. In the first case where we underestimated, a great deal of extra work had to be done because it was found that data on which the Commission were working, which was collected in 1927, was inaccurate, and some of the work had to be done over again. In the case of the Ethiopian boundary, a German employed by the Ethiopians was unhappily murdered. He was their technical expert and it was discovered that most of his notes were in a shorthand which nobody could read. The best help which the British side of the commission could give inevitably involved doing a good deal of the work over again.
The extra sum in the case of British Guiana is, I regret to say, due to illness on our side, a number of members of the Commission becoming ill and having to be withdrawn. The extra amount for the Middle Eastern Services is mainly due to the delimitation of the frontier between Yemen and the Aden Protectorate, which has resulted from the very satisfactory mission which was undertaken by Sir Bernard Reilly. I need not go into the details, but those interested will remember that for many years it had been a cause of great dissatisfaction and difficulty that the frontier had not been properly delimited. Sir Bernard Reilly went on this special mission and he arrived at a complete agreement on which a Treaty has now been made, and I think I may say with confidence that the result of that is not only the establishment of thoroughly friendly relations' between the Imam and the Aden Protectorate but a really satisfactory system obtaining through all the Protectorate. That is a most satisfactory conclusion and one which, I venture to say, is cheap at the price.

§ Mr. LUNN
I appreciate the fact that the right hon. Gentleman is very explanatory in dealing with matters of this sort, 1532 but this Supplementary Estimate for passages is a very large one. He tells us that there have been quite a number of Governors who have had to travel which, I suppose, accounts for part of the cost, but I have noticed in all the newspapers during the last few days that there is to be a tour by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff—

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
I am afraid that does not come into this Supplementary Estimate.

§ Mr. LUNN
I was only going to ask whether this tour which is to be undertaken by the Chief of the Imperial General Staff and, I suppose, many of his subordinates to the Near East is included in this £4,500. The large sum seemed to indicate that it included something out of the ordinary, though the right hon. Gentleman has explained some of the circumstances; but I was wondering whether this tour, about which so much has appeared in the newspapers, was accounting for this additional expenditure. With regard to the boundary commissions, we really ought to be told what is the length of life of these commissions. How long have they been in existence and how long are they to continue? We have three boundary commissions at work. How long will it be before they complete their work? I do not think that the work ought to be allowed to go on year after year; there ought to be an end of their labours at some time or another. Seeing that the British taxpayer has to find the money, it is important that the House should know when there is to be an end of the work and an end of the expenditure.
I may be out of order in raising this point, but seeing that the first boundary commission referred to is concerned with the boundary between Northern Rhodesia and the Congo I should like to ask the right hon. Gentleman whether he has information to give regarding what has happened to the wife of the Governor of Northern Rhodesia. It is a very tragic accident, and he may have more and better information than we have been able to obtain so far, and it would be as well if he could give it to the House, because it is a case which is occupying very much space in the newspapers just now and is a very tragic affair. I do not think there is anything more I have to 1533 say, except that in the case of the Middle Eastern Services the contribution is to be made to India. I think the right hon. Gentleman will be able to tell us that this will not be a continuing grant, but that there is to be some other arrangement so that in this matter the contributions may be made, or it might be possible to explain why the contribution regarding the residency and the civic hospital has to be made to India.

§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTER
I am most grateful to the hon. Member for Roth-well (Mr. Lunn) for his very sympathetic allusion to Sir Hubert Young in his great anxiety, and we shall let his Excellency know what the hon. Gentleman says, as I am sure it represents the feeling of everybody in this House for Sir Hubert for his gallant and efficient public service. I only heard of this situation last night, and the information which I have is the same as that which is in the newspapers. I telegraphed at once, and I received a telegram this morning to say that there was no further news and that no discovery has been made. If there is any information, I will gladly let the House have it on Monday. I say again that I am very grateful, as I am sure the Governor will be, for the very sympathetic reference to him in his present anxiety.
In regard to the Chief of the Imperial General Staff I can give the hon. Member a complete assurance that this Estimate only includes the Governors and officers of the Colonial Services. It is true that this is a big Estimate and it is quite right to ask for details. What has happened has been that four Governors have retired, and the result in every case has meant two more moves. You promote one governor, for instance, to the Straits, and the governor, one of the rather senior governors appointed, needs his passage. It means also further passage money to the Governor who is appointed to succeed him. The result is that we have actually seven or eight different sets of passage allowances, although there are only four retirements.
As far as the boundary commissions are concerned, what the hon. Member said is rather true. Like old soldiers they never die, but sometimes they do fade away. These boundary commissions will 1534 have done pretty good work, and they are nearing the close of their labours. The one on the Congo frontier has, I think, practically finished. It was important to get the work completed in order that we might delimit part of the area, and the whole of data will be available if we can delimit further areas at a later stage. We have complete and accurate data available, and we want to get on with the work as soon as possible. The Ethiopia Commission is to complete its work this month or in April, and the other one, on British Guiana and Brazil, would have completed its operations earlier but for the outbreak of illness. As soon as the new staff get on the spot that also will be completed. As regards the question of Aden, I am afraid that is a rather wider issue than that dealt with in the Supplementary Estimate. My hon. Friend knows the proposals which are contained in the Government of India Bill in regard to it.