§ 8. Mr. SNELLasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will assure the House that no money will be spent on schemes of railway construction in East Africa in anticipation of the sanction which Parliament will be invited to give to such schemes by the proposed East African Loan Bill?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Amery)I have more than once assured the House that progress of necessary construction work in East Africa is not being held up pending the Bill which is to be introduced shortly to give Treasury guarantee to certain loans which are to be raised by the East African Governments concerned for railway construction.
§ Mr. THURTLEDoes that reply mean that, when we come to discuss the East. African Loan Bill, we shall be met with a fait accompli with regard to any of these schemes?
§ Mr. AMERYNo, Sir. The position is this: All that the House is invited to do is to give its guarantee, if it approves, to loans to be raised by the East African Governments for necessary railway construction.
§ Sir FREDRIC WISECan my right hon. Friend say where the money is coming from at the present time?
§ 9. Mr. SNELLasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will assure the House that no money will be spent on further schemes of railway construction in East Africa until an impartial inquiry has been made into the question whether there is any reserve of native labour to be drawn upon which is not already required for cultivating the natives' own land or the crops which they may wish to grow for export?
§ Mr. AMERYNo, Sir. New railways are normally constructed with a view to general development, including an increase of production on the native's own lands. The amount of labour reasonably available is naturally taken into consideration in determining the rate of progress.