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arrive in this country before General Smuts has to leave. I have telegraphed about this. Of course, Rhodesia is a young organization to be trusted with full responsible government. Its population is smaller than Natal, when she obtained responsible government. On the other hand, the settlers are discontented with the present state of affairs. The Chartered Company is passing away, and it therefore has little incentive to spend money on the development of the country. I should like to say, if I may, that the work of this Chartered Company has been a very wonderful work for the British Empire. The shareholders have never received a penny in dividends, and they may never be able to secure more than a portion of their capital. A splendid region has been acquired and developed to a large extent, and it has all been done entirely by the voluntary effort of private capital. I hope, whatever arrangements are made, we shall not be animated by any spirit of prejudice towards this company, who, I think, has rendered enormous service to the British Empire. As an alternative to responsible government, there is the question of the incorporation of Rhodesia in the Union. There can only be one destination for Rhodesia ultimately, and the only question we have to consider —I will not say the only question, but the main question —-is, what is the psychological moment ? One-wants Rhodesia to be at man's estate before she joins the Union, and to join it willingly and as a partner. After all, Rhodesia is an enormous factor in the whole South African situation. We must remember that they are very much inclined to resent anything like an attempt to dispose of their destiny over their heads. The Native question is, of course, a very serious one there, and I think I was quite right to try and get these Rhodesian delegates here at the time when General Smuts and Sir Thomas Smartt are here, in order to discuss the whole position with the Colonial Office. Also, we do not want to have any appearance of dictation. I trust that the conversations we shall have when they are here will result in some arrangement that is satisfactory. Development of Communications. We have gone on slowly developing Imperial communications. Of course, we have got very little money. The great expense of Palestine and Mesopotamia has thrown such burdens upon our backs that everything in regard to the Colonies has been very severely pruned. Still, we are developing. East Africa. In East Africa, I am hoping at last to make the deep-water pier at Kilindini. When I left the Colonial Office in the beginning of 1908 I had already succeeded in getting it settled to make this deep-water pier. It was definitely settled. The Uganda Railway, built at enormous expense by the Imperial Government, stops 40 ft. short of deep water. With such a pier you would be able to unload from the ocean steamers on to the railway which runs up hundreds of miles to the great lakes, but these 40 ft. intervene, and everything has now to be unloaded from the steamers into lighters and from the lighters on to the railway. All articles are subject to a charge in which local vested interests are deeply concerned. I came back to the Colonial Office after thirteen years' absence, and. I found still the same 40 ft. intervening. The same lighterage interests are deriving their profits, and the whole of the great transport of the war supplies was handled in this inefficient and wasteful manner. However, we hope now to take that up and give the Uganda Railway what it requires—its deep-water connection. A new line, a feeder line, we hope to develop to the railway from the Uasin Gishu Plateau, which will tap the rich district now being opened up by the soldier settlers, and will form the first link to the Congo Basin. A new line from Nyasaland to Chindio on the Zambesi has been constructed. An extension of the existing system to Lake Nyasa is now being considered, and in East Africa generally we are trying not only railways, but all forms of light transport, including road-railways. lam not at all sure that the tank has not a part to play in some of these countries. Ido not mean the war tank, but a caterpillar vehicle capable of collecting the produce from the scattered estates and bringing it to the railways.