The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-03-17 00:00:00

THE TRANSVAAL.

Lord Cranbrook directed attention to the papers relating
to the affairs of the Transvaal, and having read extracts
from te Blue-Book, inquired what steps her Majesty's Go-
vernment proposed to take, in fulfilment of the Convention,
to save the natives residing outside and on the borders of
the Transvaal from the calamities h which they were in-
volved by Use lawless action of me subjects et tne rransvaat
Republic.

Lord Derby admitted the importance of the subject and
the unsatisfactory character of the state of affairs disclosed
in the correspcndence to which Lord Cranbrook had
drawn attention. There were but few alternatives for
the Government. The most effectual one would be that
of annexing the Transvaal and holding it as British
territory; but he did not think that proceeding would
commend itself to the British Parliament and the British
nation, for the fee simple of the country to be pro-
tected would not equal the cost of the military expedition,
and the annexation would only increase our colonial re-
sponsibilities. The Government would do what they could.
Compensation would be given to those chiefs who had suf-
fered from their loyalty to us. The noble lord concluded
by saying—" To the more general and comprehensive ques-
tion of the steps that we intend to take for the protection
of the natives it is hardly po,sible to give a definite
answer, because all must depend on circumstances. It
Is quite clear that we have no power by the convention
to take upon ourselves the police of the Transvaal
State. What we can do is to remonstrate, and in the last
resort, assuming the treaty to be broken, we have the remedy
of an appm I to force; but your lordships will, I think,
agree with me that that course is not to be taken except in
circumstances of the most urgent necessity. (Hear, hear.)
As the result of our action cannot be obtained in a
mome, t, you have to consider the course to be im-
mediately pursued. We do not want another Ire-
land in South Africa (hear, hear) ; and I think I may
say with some confidence that the Transvaal never
would have been annexed but for the assurances
of persons on the spot, who assured us that the
annexation was desired by the Boers themselves. Those
assurances turned out to be groundless, and whatever may
be urged against the policy of retrocession, which is really
the question raised by the noble lord in this debate, I think
that retrocession was a preferable alternative to the main-
tenance of forces in places which add nothing to the
securitr of the Empire. (Rear, hear.) This, however, is a
question which I will not now argue, and to which my noble
friend who preceded me in office is more competent to do
justice than I am. For myself, whatever can be done with
the very limited powers at present in our possession, that I
shall be very willing to do, but those powers are very limited
and restricted."

----------
Lord Cairns, Lord Stanhope, and Lord Brabonrne joined in
condemning the Ministerial policy, which was defended by
Lord Kimberley.
Lord Salisbury concurred in the views of his noble friends
who had spoken from the front Opposition bench as to the
policy of the Government. He s.ccused her Majesty's Minis-
ters of having pursued a portion of that policy in order
to cover a defeat which would otherwise have been
too disgraceful to be borne by even the tolerant
people of this country. The Convention was a document
intended to hoodwink this country; but the. Government
had forgotten what an emount of human misery it would
cause among the unfortunate natives who trusted to
promises which her Majesty's Government had taken no
steps to redeem. Contempt for us could not be more em-
nhatically stated than it was by the unfortunate chiefs who
uttered their complaints and in the letter of the Secretary
to the Transvaal Government replying to our representa-
tions.
----•- •- •

Lord Granville, replying to the noble Marquis, said that
perhaps the country would not restrict its historical retro-
spect to two years, but would cunsider the position in which
the present Ministry were placed by the Act of their prede-
cessors in annexing the Transvaal. The tend, ncy of the
argument ( I the noble Marquis and of Lord Cranbrook was
in favour of violent measures, though neither of them had
ventured to recommend that such measures should be
taken.

The discussion then closed, and their Lordships adjourned
at ten minutes to seven.

In the Housk: Or COMMONS, Mr. Stanhope gave notice that
on an early day he will move a resolution condemning
"air. Ilbert's Bill," as calculated unnecessarily to disturb
the friendly relations between natives and Europeans, and
to prejudice the extension of commerce and industry in
India.

Mr. Collins gave notice of an amendment to Mr. Ryland's
motion on the national expenditure, the object of which will
be to indicate the Army and Navy and certain classes of the
Civil Service Estimates as spec•ally calliNg for retrenchment.
TOYS FOR WORKHOUSE CHILDREN.

Mr. Hicks asked the President of the Local Government
Board wh-ther it was a fact that the district auditor had
disallowed the slim of 31. 3(1., expended by the master of the
Wisbech Union Workhouse, under the orders of she chair-
man cud other guardians, in the purchase of toys for sick
children; and whether he had reversed such disallowance;
and, if not, it he would explain the reason why.
Mr. Chamberlain in reply said: The auditor of the
Wisbech Union had disallowed the sum referred to, which
was expended in the purchase of toys for children in the
workhouse. There had been similar disallowances pre-
viously, and the Local Government Board, while relieving
the persons surcharged of their liabilities, have held that
expenditure of this character should be defrayed by private
liberality rather than out of rates compulsorily levied. The
subject had been considered in connexion with the recent
surcharge, and it is proposed to hold that the expenditure
was within the legal powers of the guardians and the auditor
will be communioated with with a view to a reversal of his
decision.
COMPULSORY VACCINATION.

Mr.?. A. Taylor asked the President of the Local Govern-
ment Board whether, in the appointment of public vacci-
nators, the conditions and restrictAons under which vagina-
tton was to be enforced were made the subject of specific
contraot ; and if he would provide means to make the terms
of such contrast as widely known as possible, so that, in
oases where disease or death followed upon the operation,
parents might have the eatisfaetion of knowing that all the
precautions deemed necessary by the medical advisers of
the Local Government Board had been scrupulously ob-
served.
- -

Mr. Chamberlain replied : The contracts with public
vaccinators contain a Erovisi,n that the vaccinations shall be
performed in accordance with certain instructions to public
vaccinator* wkich were issued by the Privy Council in 1871.
Copies et those instructions have been freely issned by
the Loeal GOV6IIIIIIIOIIt Board, and they will be quite pre-
pared to farnisk copies whenever they are applied to for
the pirpose. No further means of making the terms of
these insbractions known appear to the Board to be neces-
sary.