THE EARL OF MAYOMy Lords, I rise to ask whether, as St. Helena has been given up as a coaling station, and as His Majesty's troops have been removed from that island, His Majesty's Government will facilitate the sale and exportation of cattle, which the inhabitants of the island were encouraged to breed and keep, in order that the land now occupied by these cattle may be made available for the growing of phormium tenax, or New Zealand flax, which at present is grown on the island, and is a source of revenue to the inhabitants. 1162 I have been asked to put this Question by the captain of the ship I came home in the other day, and who is an inhabitant of the island. When the Boer prisoners left and the troops were withdrawn the inhabitants naturally suffered, because they had been making money supplying provisions and catching fish for the large number of people who were there. It has been said that the island has been given up entirely to rats and disappointed islanders, but that is a very pessimistic view to take of St. Helena. I am told it is not so bad as that. The Government encouraged the inhabitants of the island to breed and keep cattle for the convenience of the troops and the Boer prisoners, and therefore it is thought only fair that the Government should assist the islanders in disposing of their cattle so that the land now occupied by the cattle may be used to grow New Zealand flax. They grow phormium already, and it is a very valuable export. I therefore hope His Majesty's Government will look with some kindness on these people, who have, so to speak, been left in the lurch. I do not myself know whether these islanders are industrious. I have heard it said that they are not; but I think they would become industrious if the sale and exportation of the cattle were facilitated so that they could develop the industry to which I have referred, and which has already been established on a small scale on the island.
§ * THE EARL OF CREWEMy Lords, I have to thank the noble Earl for postponing his Question from yesterday, and I will endeavour to answer briefly the points which he has raised. St. Helena has been for some time past a source of anxiety. As the noble Earl has pointed out, the removal of the garrison and the fact that the Boer prisoners did not remain there seriously affected the material interests of the islanders. So far as the removal of the garrison is concerned, that, of course, is an unfortunate fate which happens to various Colonial possessions. St. Helena is not the only victim of a change of military policy. There are others, such as St. Lucia in the West Indies, upon whom a change of that kind has fallen with still greater severity. But the fact undoubtedly remains that the position, of St. Helena is such as to arouse sympathy, and such as to make the Government wish to do everything they can to alleviate it. St. Helena consists of 28,800 acres, and of that area some 20,000 1163 are described as being altogether unfit for agricultural operations. But there is some land which can be profitably used. As regards what the noble Earl said of the invitation to invest in cattle on behalf of the Government, what happened was this. In 1898 it was pointed out that there was a probability of the garrison being increased, and the farmers who had at that time a considerable stock of cattle went to some little expense in buying breeding stock of an improved kind in order to better their herds. As a consequence of that, during the time that the prisoners were there and while the garrison was maintained they must have made considerable profits. I do not think it is quite fair to argue from that that a permanent obligation can be said to rest on His Majesty's Government, now that the policy of keeping the garrison there has been changed, to dispose of this stock in the interests of the farmers. At the same time, the Government have been anxious to help the farmers, if possible, to get rid of the cattle; and in March of this year the suggestion was made that the Admiralty would buy 200 of them at contract prices for use at the Cape, and the Cape Government agreed to dispense with the duty which would, in the ordinary course, be charged upon them. That, unfortunately, fell through, as I understand, on the question of price; but I shall be quite willing to represent to the Board of Admiralty that a renewal of that offer might be made, and I understand they would be willing to make it provided it was possible to do it on reasonable terms. Beyond that, I am afraid, at 1164 this moment I cannot go. It is true that the flax industry is one to which we look for some improvement in the condition of St. Helena. There are rather over 450 acres under flax at this moment, but I do not think there is any evidence that there is land occupied by cattle which would be immediately devoted to flax growing if the cattle were removed. It is not the case that the whole of this stock of 1,200 cattle is in the hands of very poor people. Some part of it is in the hands of business firms, who are, I should hope, well off, and therefore not exactly in a condition to make an appeal ad misericordium. But I can assure the noble Earl that the state of affairs of St. Helena is continually before my mind, and if I can help in this matter I shall be glad to do so.