§ LORD STANLEY OF ALDERLEYasked Her Majesty's Government, If it is true that Arab prisoners have been handed over for custody to the Italians at Massowah; and, if so, by what right under the Law of Nations the Italian forces can he asked to become gaolers of those prisoners, since making prisoners of war carried with it the responsibility of feeding thorn properly, and if these prisoners attempted to escape the Italians would have no right to use force to detain them? He also asked whether it was true that forced labour had been employed on the railway near Wady Halfa, and that these labourers were kept 12 or 13 hours at work, and worked under the lash?
§ EARL GRANVILLE, in reply, said, that he was unable to give any answer to the first part of the Question of the noble Lord, as Her Majesty's Government had no communication on the subject. As to the second part of the Question, the information of the 136 Government appeared to be contrary to that of the noble Lord; because, so far from the railway being laid by forced labour, it was being constructed by Egyptian soldiers.
§ House adjourned at Five o'clock, till To-morrow, a quarter past Ten o'clock.