§ 108. Mr. T. Reidasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in what Colonies minerals in the soil are the property of freehold owners of land.
Mr. Creech JonesIn the majority of Colonial territories minerals are vested in the Crown, except to the extent that before the passing of the vesting ordinance the alienation of the surface expressly carried with it the ownership of any minerals in the land. The position is therefore of some complexity but I will send my hon. Friend a note of the legal position. He is no doubt aware that I have recently asked Colonial Governments to consider the adoption of vesting legislation where it has not so far been enacted and to assess the balance of advantage in recovering rights already passed into private hands.