§ Sir T. BENNETTasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the numerical strength of the official element in the Uganda Legislative Council and how many of these officials are Indians; what are the respective numbers of the European' and Indian communities in Uganda; and what are the relative contributions of the two communities to the revenue of the Protectorate; in whose hands is the bulk of the trade of the country; whether he will re-examine the respective interests of the two communities with a view of ascertaining how far the inferior representation offered to Indians in the Council was justified; and whether the refusal of the Indians to cooperate in the work of the Council on the lines laid down was due to the fact that those lines were unduly narrow and took no account of the numerical, financial, and commercial position of the Indian community?
Mr. WOODThere are threeex-officio members of the Legislative Council of Uganda, all Europeans, but the Secretary of State has not yet received the Governor's recommendations as to the appointment of nominated official members in addition to them. The latest figures of population in my possession are, Europeans, 847; Asiatics, 3,516. I am unable to state the relative contributions to the revenue of the country, or whether 1555W the bulk of the trade is in the hands of Europeans or Indians. While the European unofficial members have been selected from the point of view of their personal suitability, and not as representing particular interests, there can be no doubt that European interests are wider than those of Indians in character, especially as regards the planting and missionary interests, and in geographical distribution. I have no doubt that my hon. Friend has correctly described the grounds on which the Indians have refused to co-operate in the work of the Council, but, as has been previously explained, the Secretary of State is reluctant to carry the matter further until they have shown their willingness to avail themselves of the representation recommended by the Governor and adopted by his predecessor.