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moved the reduction of the Vote by £10,000. This is an enormous Supplementary Estimate. Although the sum asked is only £57,000, when one comes to examine the details of the Estimate, we find that it is in reality £96,000, for the purposes of the expedition in Somaliland The fact is, therefore, that the Supplementary Estimate in this case is larger than the original Estimate, which was only £94,500. Hon. Members who were in the last Parliament will recollect that at this time last year this question of threatened hostilities in Somaliland was debated at some length, and we were led to believe by the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (Colonel Seely), who unfortunately is not now in the House, that there was some prospect that the sum asked for would be ample, and that negotiations were in progress which probably would lead to peace. The first thing I should like to put to the representative of the Colonial Office on the present occasion is, What has become of those negotiations, and why have they not led to peace? I myself take a great personal interest in the Mullah of Somaliland, who some ten years ago was called the "Mad Mullah," though he appears to be no more mad than any hon Member of this House. He is a man of ability, because he has carried on a struggle against the forces of the British Empire for ten or twelve years, in which, I am bound to say, he has uniformly come off best. This gentleman has maintained throughout the whole of the ten years that he is very much ill-used person, and that he wants to remain at peace with mankind if allowed. The British Government has sent against the Mullah of Somaliland no less than three expeditions. I cannot without a great deal of research bring before the House the exact figures, but I have taken part in every Debate on the question of Somaliland during the last twelve years, and I have a fair recollection of the sums of money voted by this House on this matter. I venture to say that the Mullah of Somaliland has cost this country at least £4,000,000 of money. What have we got to show for this £4,000,000? Absolutely nothing. Two expeditions of British troops, or Indian troops led by British officers, have been more or less cut to pieces and annihilated by the Mullah. We were told over and over again that he and his force had been completely exterminated, but he has never been caught—or, rather I should say, he has been caught two or three times, but he "turned Turk" upon his pursuers, who got the worst of the encounter. For the most part, these expeditions spend their time flying through the most appalling, waterless and burning region on the whole face of the globe, with infinite cost of men and money and unfortunate cattle. Parties come and parties go in this House, but the Mad Mullah goes on for ever. This is the third Government that has undertaken an expedition of this character, I have never been able to extract from any Colonial Minister a coherent or rational statement of what it is they want to do with the Mullah. He lives in one of the most inhospitable countries in the whole world, waterless, very difficult to traverse, and with a temperature quite as hot as that of any stokehold: a subject referred to to-day at question time. What it is that the Government wants in chasing this man through his torrid region I can never understand or make out. At any rate, we have expended about four millions of money, and we have gained absolutely nothing.
I remember that the House was very much amused, and a great deal of laughter arose, when Colonel Seely, representing the Colonial Office, read out a communication in reply to a question by me which he had received from the Mad Mullah. I really think the Mad Mullah had the best of the matter in that communication. He said he could not understand why he was being hunted and persecuted. He said also that the British had nothing to get from him, while, if they continued, he should get their cattle. That is the history of these transactions, because I noticed the other day that in spite of this enormous expenditure of money that the Mad Mullah made a raid and carried off 20,000 cattle. We are called on now to vote another £96,000, and I want to know where it is going to stop. I made a suggestion, at least ten years ago, that this gentleman ought to be offered, say £2,000 per year, and then he would keep quiet. I do not really know that he has been doing any harm when let alone. I am perfectly certain that for a modest sum he would become entirely friendly to the British Government. And observe the saving it would be supposing you paid this gentleman, as is the custom of the Government in India to pay along the frontier subsidies to tribes as long as they keep quiet, whereas you have spent £4,000,000 and many lives in chasing him, and for what purpose I never could find out. I ask, therefore, the right hon. Gentleman who is to speak for the Colonial Office, to give us, if he can, a rational statement why these expeditions and why this quarrel should be pursued as long as the siege of Troy, and for what purpose this £96,000 is now required. I beg to move.
I remember that the House was very much amused, and a great deal of laughter arose, when Colonel Seely, representing the Colonial Office, read out a communication in reply to a question by me which he had received from the Mad Mullah. I really think the Mad Mullah had the best of the matter in that communication. He said he could not understand why he was being hunted and persecuted. He said also that the British had nothing to get from him, while, if they continued, he should get their cattle. That is the history of these transactions, because I noticed the other day that in spite of this enormous expenditure of money that the Mad Mullah made a raid and carried off 20,000 cattle. We are called on now to vote another £96,000, and I want to know where it is going to stop. I made a suggestion, at least ten years ago, that this gentleman ought to be offered, say £2,000 per year, and then he would keep quiet. I do not really know that he has been doing any harm when let alone. I am perfectly certain that for a modest sum he would become entirely friendly to the British Government. And observe the saving it would be supposing you paid this gentleman, as is the custom of the Government in India to pay along the frontier subsidies to tribes as long as they keep quiet, whereas you have spent £4,000,000 and many lives in chasing him, and for what purpose I never could find out. I ask, therefore, the right hon. Gentleman who is to speak for the Colonial Office, to give us, if he can, a rational statement why these expeditions and why this quarrel should be pursued as long as the siege of Troy, and for what purpose this £96,000 is now required. I beg to move.
