HC Deb 12 April 1933 vol 276 cc2564-5
13 and 14. Mr. PARKINSON

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies (1) whether he will reconsider the application of the Tanganyika Native Authority Ordinance to the Gambia Protectorate, in view of the fact that the Tanganyika tribes are much less developed and assimilated than the chiefs and peoples of the Gambia Protectorate;

(2) whether, in view of the powers of criminal jurisdiction given to chiefs in Gambia Protectorate who are appointed as Native authorities under the Native Tribunals Ordinance of 1933, he can state how these chiefs are chosen; and what steps are taken to consult the wishes of the people put under their control?

Mr. M. MacDONALD

The appointment of chiefs in the Gambia Protectorate is regulated by native law and custom, and the consent of the people affected is preliminary to the recognition of a chief by the Government. My right hon. Friend agrees with the Governor's view that the Tanganyika Ordinance in question, with suitable modifications, is well adapted to the circumstances of the Gambia Protectorate.