§ 20. Mr. PALINGasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can give any information as to the working of the gold-mining industry in Kenya Colony; and whether he can state the acreage that is under occupation for mining in each of the areas, the amount of gold that has been mined, and the amount accruing to the Government of Kenya in licences or in other ways?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Malcolm MacDonald)As the reply is long and contains a number of figures I propose, with the hon. Member's permission, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ The gold-mining industry in Kenya Colony is making steady progress and it is hoped that some of the companies interested will reach large scale production by the end of the present year. New claims are still being registered and a considerable amount of plant and machinery is being installed.
§ It is not possible to state the acreage under actual occupation with accuracy, but the following figures are approximate:
| Acres. | ||
| No. 1 area | … | 640 |
| No. 2 area | … | 2,000 |
| Nos. 3 and 4 areas | … | 2,400 |
| No. 5 area | … | 600 |
| Kakamega | … | 2,000 |
| Lolgorien | … | 500 |
§ The amount of gold mined since the 1st of January, 1926, is approximately 1820 52,480 ounces, of which 15,940 ounces were produced during 1934 and 6,600 ounces during the first four months of this year. The total revenue accruing to Government since the 1st of January, 1931, in mining fees, royalties, stamp duties and other ways is about £70,000.