asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he has now received reports of action taken in respect of his communication of November last to Colonial Governors urging the abolition of corporal punishment for convicted persons.

I have received replies from 10 Governments. There is so far a general acceptance of my policy that the complete abolition of corporal punishment as a sanction of the courts should be secured. In two territories steps are now being taken to limit further the powers of courts in respect of its imposition, and in others there are prospects of similar progress in the not too distant future.