Sir Arthur Lawley, the Lieutenant-Governor of-. the Transvaal, received a
deputation of the Trades and Labour Councils, the African Labour League, and the White Leagee last Saturday at Johannesburg, and made an important statement on the Labour question. A recent speech of his, he observed, might possibly be interpreted as a pledge that, in regard to the question of imported labour, the acceptance or otherwise of the Imperial Government would be solely dependent on the vote of the Legislative Council. In order to correct any erroneous impression, Sir Arthur Lawley now clearly stated that it was obviously impossible for him to give any such pledge. "The sanction of his Majesty's Government will, of course, be necessary before the intro. duction of any legislation of this nature, and I am sure that the policy of the Home Government will not take a definite or concrete form until the Report of the Labour Commission is in their hands, and the matter has been fully threshed out in the Legislative Council." With regard to the Referendum which the deputation advocated as desirable before the passing of any law dealing with the importation of Chinese labour, Sir Arthur Lawley pointed out the difficulties of such a course, and explained that it was a matter which would have to be discussed by the Legislative Council.
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