§ 17. Sir SYDNEY HENNasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether any decision has yet been taken with regard to the construction of the Zambesi Bridge?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREI regret that owing to the abnormal condition of the Zambesi it will still be some time before completion of the investigations in hand. Until their results are known, no decision is possible.
§ Sir S. HENNCan the right hon. Gentleman hold out some expectation of a tentative date by which this very long delay can be overcome?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREAccording to the last telegram, the abnormal condition of the river is abating somewhat, but until we get the engineer's and surveyor's report it, is very difficult to fix a date. It is now entirely a question of technical advice.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONIn view of the serious condition of the coal-mining industry in this country, will His Majesty's Government do their utmost to prevent the completion of this bridge, with British guarantees, so long as the Portuguese labourers in the coalfields there are paid 5s. a month?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREHonestly, I cannot give that undertaking. The question of the guarantees under the East African Guarantee Act is being approached not from the point of view of anything connected with affairs in Portuguese territory, but owing to the great difficulty of both native and other producers in British Nyasaland in exporting their products.
§ Mr. JOHNSTONCan the right hon. Gentleman not say whether it is the case that the labourers in the coalfields on Portuguese territory, the development of which is to be facilitated by this bridge, are paid 5s. a month?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREThe hon. Mem-her must put that question to the Foreign Office. I cannot carry in my head figures of that sort relating to foreign territory. I have not seen what they are.