§ 21. Mr. Skinnardasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will revise the terms of reference of the Harragin Commission of Inquiry into the structure and remuneration of the Civil Service in West Africa to include unestablished and daily paid staffs.
§ Mr. George HallThis suggestion has already been fully gone into: but I fear that it is not feasible to adopt it. The conditions of service of unestablished and daily paid staff differ between the four individual Colonies, and there would be difficulties in including these matters within the scope of a commission designed to cover British West Afrca as a whole.
§ Mr. SkinnardWill the Secretary of State endeavour, once the report of the Harragin Commission is available, to prepare some form of machinery whereby considerable increases in the pay of the unestablished staff take place?
§ 22. Mr. Skinnardasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he is aware that dissatisfaction has been expressed by the Nigerian Trades Union Congress at the inclusion of Colonial civil servants on the Commission of Inquiry into the structure and remuneration of the Civil Service in West Africa; and whether he will appoint instead independent persons who are in a position to be completely disinterested.
§ Mr. George HallI have received representations from the Nigeria Trades Union Congress on this subject. The decision to entrust this inquiry to a single commissioner was taken only after the most careful consideration. The appointment by me of the Chief Justice of the Gold Coast to be the commissioner was made in the full confidence that he would conduct his inquiries with due regard to the interests of all members of the West African Civil Services, whether European or African.