§ 21. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what is the increased cost of living in Accra, Gold Coast, today compared with 1945 and 1939; to what extent wages have risen proportionately; and what is the approximate number of ex-Service men and others unemployed in Accra.
Mr. Creech JonesAs the reply contains a number of figures, I will, with permission, circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. SorensenHave wages risen proportionately to the increase in the cost of living?
§ Following is the reply:
§ Figures are not available specifically for Accra. In the Gold Coast generally, the cost of living index is as follows:
| August, 1939 | … | 100 |
| November, 1945 | … | 186 |
| November, 1947 | … | 211 |
§ Wage rates for unestablished and daily paid subordinate Government staffs were revised on the recommendations of a commission last year with retrospective effect to 1st January, 1946, and are now estimated to be, in Accra, 85 per cent. above the 1939 level. Increases have also been made in the wages of workers outside Government employment, but no detailed figures are available.
§ In February, 1948, there were 4,620 unemployed ex-Service men on the register of the Labour and re-settlement advice centres in the Gold Coast as a whole. Of these, a number have refused employment offered outside the town in which they applied.