§ Mr. JOHN ROBERTSONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether the continuance of the disasters from the collapsing of ill-built houses in Cairo and elsewhere, of which hundreds have taken place within the past few years, is still ascribed by the Egyptian Government to the imperfect control of foreign builders resulting from the capitulations; whether, if this view be still taken, he will advise the Egyptian Government to take steps to secure the modification of the capitulations in the interest of the protection of life to all inhabitants of Egyptian towns; and whether, in the case of its being found impossible to fasten the responsibility for the majority of the fallen buildings upon foreign builders, he will urge the Egyptian Government to reform their building laws?
§ Sir E. GREYI can add nothing to the remarks made by Sir Eldon Gorst on this subject in the first paragraph of his last Report, which clearly explains the difficulties in the way of finding a remedy for the abnormal situation resulting from the capitulations in regard to the building law and other matters.