§ Order of the Day for the House to be put into Committee read.
§ Moved, That the House do now resolve itself into Committee.—(The Earl of Crawford.)
§ On Question, Motion agreed to.
§ House in Committee accordingly.
§ [The EARL of DONOUGHMORE in the Chair.]
§ Clause 1 agreed to.
878§ Clause 2:
§ Application to protectorates, etc.
§ 2. His Majesty may by Order in Council direct that this Act shall apply to any territory which is under His Majesty's protection, or in respect of which a mandate is being exercised by the government of any part of His Majesty's Dominions as if that territory were a part of His Majesty's Dominions, and, on the making of any such order, this Act shall, subject to the provisions of the Order, have effect accordingly.
§ LORD RAGLAN moved to leave out Clause 2. The noble Lord said: The noble Earl in charge of the Bill said that Clause 2 is an enabling clause. I think it is. It enables the Government to do that which I venture to think is outside the provisions of the Bill. The object of this measure is to facilitate migration within the Empire. The Protectorates and mandated territories are not, strictly speaking, within the Empire. The question of white settlement in the Tropics is a very difficult one, and I shall not trouble your Lordships with any arguments upon it, but I think it will be generally admitted that the only settlers welcomed in our tropical Dependencies are persons with capital, to whom I presume the provisions of this Bill will not apply. It will be known to many of your Lordships that there are in our tropical Dependencies a class of persons known as "mean whites," who are a very serious nuisance. I do not suggest that the passing of this clause will necessarily encourage that class of person, but I think that there is a danger that it might be so, and if the clause were omitted it would make it quite plain that the object of this Bill is to facilitate migration within the Dominions.
§
Amendment moved—
Leave out Clause 2.—(Lord Raglan.)
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDLord Raglan is correct in saying that the primary object of this Bill is to promote settlement within the Dominions overseas. Clause 2 extends it to mandated territory or to territory under His Majesty's protection—in fact, to a Protectorate—and I think it would be a great pity if that power were withdrawn from the Government. In no case can it or would it be exercised without the assent, and the cordial assent, of the Oversea Government concerned. There are certain portions of Africa which are eminently suitable for settlement, notably, portions of what was German East Africa, and if this clause be excluded it 879 would be impossible for people to go to that part of Africa, which, from all accounts, has a very great future before it.
LORD RAGLANIt will not be impossible for them to go; it will only mean that they will not receive Government assistance, and the class of persons it is desirable to encourage to go to that part of Africa is not the class of persons which requires Government assistance.
THE EARL OF CRAWFORDWhen I said it would make it impossible, I meant that it would make it impossible for such emigrants to use the opportunities afforded by this Bill. I do not agree at all that such a place as Kenya, for instance, or parts of the German Colonies in Africa, are open to nobody except persons of large capital. I cannot accept that view, and I greatly hope that your Lordships will maintain this clause. I acknowledge that I do not suppose that it applies to 1 per cent. of the total number of people who will benefit by the Bill as a whole, but it is valuable, and I should greatly deprecate any action which would exclude these very hopeful and profitable territories from the purview of the Bill.
§ On Question, Amendment negatived.
§ Clause 2 agreed to.
§ Clause 3 agreed to.
§ Bill reported without amendment.