§ 47. Mr. THURTLEasked the Prime Minister whether, seeing that sanction was given to the legislation for the indenturing of native children in Rhodesia prior 2306 to the receipt by the Secretary of State for the Dominions of the last Report of the Chief Native Commissioner of Rhodesia, he will invite the Rhodesian Government to consider the advisability of submitting to His Majesty's Government periodic reports upon the working of the system of child labour in Rhodesia?
§ The PRIME MINISTERIt is presumed that the hon. Member refers to the observations in the last report of the Chief Native Commissioner of Southern Rhodesia on the wages paid to native labourers in the mica fields. The report deals, however, with a period before the Native Juveniles Employment Act came into operation. Prior to the Act the employment of native juveniles was wholly unregulated, and the object of the legislation is to bring such employment under proper control and to enable the Native Commissioners to prohibit the employment of juveniles where it would be contrary to the interests of such juveniles. Information as to the working of the Act will no doubt be given in future reports of the Chief Native Commissioner.