HC Deb 25 April 1940 vol 360 cc372-4
72. Mr. Creech Jones

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what form the inquiry into the recent industrial dispute in the copper belt in Northern Rhodesia will take; what will be the terms of reference; and how soon the inquiry will commence its work?

The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Malcolm MacDonald)

The Commission will be composed as follows: Chairman: Sir John Forster, Deputy Umpire under the United Kingdom Unemployment Insurance Act of 1935, who has had great experience as a chairman of industrial inquiries. Other members: Sir Walter Buchanan-Smith, formerly Lieutenant-Governor, Southern Provinces, Nigeria; and Mr. A. Dalgleish, a national official of the Transport and General Workers' Union. It is contemplated that the Commission will be assisted by three local assessors qualified to represent respectively the points of view of the mine managements, the European employés and the African employés. The names of these assessors will be announced later.

Following are the Commission's terms of reference: To inquire into and report upon the causes and circumstances of the recent disturbances in Northern Rhodesia and matters relating thereto, and to make recommendations. I expect that it will be possible for the Commission to leave for Northern Rhodesia in the very near future.

Mr. Creech Jones

Will the right hon. Gentleman make representations that some of the immediate grievances of these natives shall be remedied right away without waiting for the result of the Commission; will his Department push on with the recommendations of the various inquiries that have taken place in the past few years; and will the Commission concern itself also with social well-being and welfare work among the natives while they are conducting their inquiries?

Mr. MacDonald

In reply to the first part of the Question, I must leave that to the people on the spot. In reply to the second part, we are proceeding as fast as we can with the carrying out of these recommendations. With regard to the third part, I think that the terms of reference of the Commission are very wide, and certainly a great many of these subjects will fall within them.

Mr. Paling

Is the dispute settled?

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Gentleman had better put his question on the Paper.

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