HC Deb 24 January 1949 vol 460 cc704-14

Motion made, and Question proposed, "That this House do now adjourn."—[Mr. Popplewell.]

10.43 p.m.

Squadron-Leader Kinghorn (Great Yarmouth)

Late as it is tonight, once again I want to say something about an aspect of our Colonial affairs. Perhaps we are emboldened to do this tonight because the last time we brought up a topic of this kind on the Adjournment it was the prelude to great developments in the clearing of the tsetse fly. In years to come, no doubt, the world will get immense benefits from the new drug, details of which were announced shortly before Christmas. In a Parliament of this kind it would be a welcome innovation if we could spend at least half an hour of every day on some aspect of our affairs that impinge on our Colonial Empire and on the Dominions. In the days of the Roman Empire they spent far more time on topics of this kind than we do in our Parliament today. After all, we are the heart of the Commonwealth. To take one example, there is Malaya. It is a testimony to the strength of the Colonial Empire that in Malaya alone, I am told, the value in dollars of the rubber exported was greater than the value of all the goods exported from the United Kingdom to the dollar countries. That is a great and wonderful effort made by Malaya in our efforts for economic equilibrium.

Tonight I want to mention the subject of transport, particularly for East and Central Africa. We have found since the groundnut scheme was put into operation that in Africa probably the greatest deficiency is in transport of one kind or another. Railways need to be laid in hundreds of miles and good roads constructed, as much as we have in Europe: there would then still be a great deficiency if we are to move the great potential which we expect in the years to come. During the war, when American troops landed in West Africa, they were amazed to find we had no direct east-west access to these ports. They were surprised to find although Africa is cut across by natural difficulties from east to west, that roads, apart from railways, and even canals, had not been laid down in the years of peace.

If we are to develop the ports on that great continent, we shall have to go in for great expansion of railways and roads and what follows after that will be a great expansion of aerial transport. On the east coast we have a number of ports; to those who know this great area, their names spring to mind—Beira in Portuguese territory, Dar-es-Salaam, Mombasa, and Mikindani. A comparison between a stretch of coast such as that where these ports lie, and a similar section of coast£say the Channel ports£would show a great difference in the number of ports for the same area. One could compare the hinterland behind the ports in Belgium and Holland, which proved so valuable during the war, and we should think here of a great expansion for economic progress and defence. We hope we shall develop these ports with the groundnut scheme which, it is to be hoped, may be only a small forerunner.

We need further development; consider a port like Beira. It has its natural hinterland, but there should be some other means of serving the greater hinterland, going through Northern Rhodesia, up to Nyasaland, and even beyond that, considering what lies farther away in places like Bechuanaland. We need some new line of approach now, and we ought to discuss the possibilities and probabilities until we can get some progress in this direction. For instance. there is the west coast port in the old German territory of West Africa. Beyond this, there is Bechuanaland, and beyond that we come to Southern Rhodesia, down to the Portuguese port of Beira. There is a 600 miles gap between Southern Rhodesia and German South-West Africa, as it was known, and a survey of this was made something like 15 years ago, I think, but nothing was done as a result of it. I understand that practical business men are coming to the conclusion that the time is now ripe for that 600 miles gap to be bridged, and for us to open up the west.

A fortnight ago we learned that representatives of two of the governments from our African territories had come to London and that there was a conference on transport. It would be interesting if the Under-Secretary to the Colonial Office could give us some news of the conference. Are we on the verge of development to benefit these territories? Were matters of the kind I have mentioned discussed? Was any long-term plan hammered out or any old plans brought out again and reconsidered, like an outlet to the west? Was it considered that there might be joint Commonwealth action on matters of this kind in that part of the world? For instance we know now that Canada is on the verge of great economic difficulties. She cannot sell to us a great deal of produce which she used to before and since the war. She is suffering from a dollar shortage. Would it be possible for some of her resources to be used in the further building up of transport facilities in Central and East Africa?

That could be applied to Australia too. Canada and Australia are old Colonial territories opened up by railways and roads. The chance was taken in Canada to build long trunk lines, and the same thing happened in Australia. I remember seeing that great Australian film "The Overlanders" in which the people who were driving the cattle across the middle of the desert suddenly came across a road right across that great continent North to South. It had been built, it was said in the film, for the purpose of the war. Then there is the great Alaskan Highway, one of the wonders of the world. The people who built those roads must have great experience, and if that experience was gathered together through an organisation in this country, it might be of great use in Central and East Africa.

Last week I asked the Home Secretary if this country was benefiting from the research into the excellent measures taken by the Germans in A.R.P. against our bombing during the war. I got a very satisfactory answer with a lot of data, which we are studying very carefully, of that very efficient A.R.P. organisation. Can we say the same about the Todt organisation which covered the whole of the great continent Hitler was ruling and was responsible for the great work of the Western Wall, and all the defences our invading forces had to meet? Could we use the experience which was used to build up that organisation?

We are coming to a crucial moment in our own economic position. We learned tonight we are to import certain things from our Allies which are really luxuries. If we are to build up our economy we cannot afford that, but in order to have economic stability we are going to widen our field of imports from France. Cannot we give the same thought to the things I have spoken about? Cannot we export roads? Cannot we have those magnificent motor roads which we discussed in this House a short time ago in Central and East Africa so that the great products of those areas can be got out to help our dollar capacity and build up our economic life at home? Perhaps the Under-Secretary can give an answer to some of the questions I have raised.

10.55 p.m.

Mr. Dodds-Parker (Banbury)

I want to emphasise what has been said about the importance of developing transport, particularly in East and Central Africa. I suppose many hon. Members saw Mr. Truman's four-point inaugural speech, and his suggestion that the United States might participate in the development of these African territories. One of the first things which springs to mind is the need for the provision of adequate railways and roads before the whole of the great production schemes can be brought fully into effect.

A tremendous amount was done in the past, but I think we appreciate that in the new circumstances in which we find ourselves in this country, with the need for developing our raw materials, we cannot hope to do that work adequately unless we have, first of all, the transport system to carry the goods which we hope may soon be produced. Apart from Mr. Truman's suggestion, I should like to ask the Under-Secretary whether it is premature to suggest that a conference be called with our Western Union allies who are concerned particularly with Africa south of the equator to see whether we cannot produce some over-all plan for transport development throughout this territory. I believe the Portuguese, for instance, as well as the Belgians, are only too anxious to meet us and to have proper discussions on the immediate development of the transport system so that we may have the production we all hope for.

I believe there are British firms which could undertake as well as any firm in the world the construction not only of railways but also of roads. I was out there 16 months ago and I saw some of the people concerned who are only too anxious to undertake the survey and development work. In this connection, a certain amount of information might be available from the Italian development work on roads in semi-tropical conditions in Abyssinia. It might ease the great pressure of their population if we could employ Italian road constructors as foremen and so on, in which work they are second only to the British. I hope the Under-Secretary will give us some information on the points I have raised.

Colonel Haughton (Antrim)

It would be interesting to hear from the Under-Secretary whether the Government can give us an assurance that the Department have a plan and an estimate of the requirements in transport which will be needed to service the development schemes in Africa.

10.59 p.m.

Mr. A. Edward Davies (Burslem)

I congratulate my hon. and gallant Friend the Member for Great Yarmouth (Squadron-Leader Kinghorn) on bringing this important matter to the attention of the House tonight. It seems to me that the problems are too great for any one country to undertake and in that connection reference has been made to consultation with the Commonwealth. The hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Dodds-Parker) referred to President Truman's speech, which indicated that he took the view I take, that this is too great a task for this small country to undertake alone. Anyone who knows even a little about East Africa, and also West Africa, realises the enormous potentialities of that great continent and appreciates the urgent necessity, as the Leader of the Opposition wrote in a book 40 years ago, of some great scheme of socialisation, as he called it in that book, if we are to find a solution to the problem. I want to ask whether the international organisations, the World Bank, the reconstruction organisations, which purport to take account of problems of these dimensions, have been considered in relation to them. Undoubtedly here is a field where the world in general can profit, but it can only do so if the pooled resources of money and manpower are brought to bear in Africa. I hope that, although we are anxious to do our part in Empire and Colonial development, we shall not scruple to look into that proposal.

Mr. Skeffington (Lewisham, West)

Can the Minister say anything about the progress of the port of Mikindani and of the railway behind it, in which much interest is being taken? Some time ago Sir Reginald Robbins referred to two proposals—the projects from Broken Hill to Mikindani, and from Broken Hill to Mombasa. Can the hon. Gentleman say anything about those?

11.1 p.m.

The Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies (Mr. Rees-Williams)

This short Debate tonight has shown the great interest the House is taking in Colonial matters. Most of the Debate has been concentrated on East Africa, and little has been said about West Africa. I propose therefore in the few minutes that are left to deal with East and Central Africa. There are, as we see it, three main problems in the development of East and Central Africa—first, the eradication of the tsetse fly; second, the construction of communications; and third, the provision of water. Tonight we are dealing with the second of these great problems.

We have considered this matter mostcarefully in the Colonial Office, and we have decided that our object should be, in the first instance, to get an outlet from Central Africa and part of East Africa to the coast at Mikindani, and to join up the Central African Railway with the East African system. It so happens, owing to the fact that Tanganyika was formerly German East Africa, that there was not under the German administration, and there has not been since, any connecting link between the Central African system—which joins up with the South African system—and the East African system. Further, the railway lines in East, Africa run from East to West and not from North to South, a fact which caused extreme difficulty during the war, when troops had to be brought up to Broken Hill in Northern Rhodesia by rail, and then transferred by road, with all their equipment and supplies. to the East African system. We consider it essential, not only for strategic reasons but also for economic reasons, to investigate the possibility of a link between the Central African system and the East African system, so that if necessary it would be possible to get on a train at Cape Town and go right through to Nairobi or Mombasa.

Colonel Haughton

Are they of the same gauge?

Mr. Rees-Williams

No. That is another difficulty I was going to mention. The Central and Southern Railways are of 3 ft. 6 ins. gauge, and the East African Railway is metre gauge; but we have a long-term plan to convert the metre gauge, and we are not now buying any equipment which is not capable of conversion to the 3 ft. 6 ins. gauge. To give some idea of the magnitude of the problem I would mention that the length of the proposed link is slightly more than the distance between Paris and Warsaw, or about ten times that between Newport in Monmouthshire and London. It is in quite uncharted country which has never been surveyed. My right hon. Friend has called the attention of the African Governments to this question and has given it as his view that it is urgently desirable that we should have a survey made from Broken Hill in Northern Rhodesia to the central Tanganyika line and thence up to the Kenya and Uganda line.

It is additionally unfortunate that not only is there no connecting link between the Central African system and the Tanganyika system, but there is no link between the Tanganyika system and the Kenya system. If there were this would give us an outlet at three ports so far as traffic in Tanganyika was concerned and we should not have to concentrate on Dar-es-Salaam but would have a spill over at Mombasa and Tanga. My right hon. Friend decided it was essential to have a survey made from the east side of Lake Nyasa to Mikindani. That would develop the whole of Northern Nyasaland and give access to the coal and other deposits in southern Tanganyika. My right hon. Friend was concerned at the position of the port of Dar-es-Salaam and wanted to be satisfied that all was being done to put the port in order, not only for the groundnut scheme, but for other traffic passing through the port.

Mr. Dodds Parker

Does that mean that the rail link from Broken Hill has second priority after the link across Lake Nyasa?

Mr. Rees-Williams

No, the investigations will go on at the same time. I personally think the first portion of the railway to be built will be from the eastern side of the Lake to Mikindani. Other surveys will go on at the same time.

My right hon. Friend recently decided to call a conference of the interests involved and held that conference at the beginning of this month in London when the various Ministries here who were concerned met representatives of the governments of Kenya and Tanganyika and the East Africa High Commission. As a result of that conference it was decided that the surveys should be proceeded with, and the East Africa High Commission have decided in any case to link up the Tanganyika central line with the Kenya line because they feel that it would have immediate economic return which would not necessarily be the case with the Broken Hill line. It would also ease the strain on Dar-es-Salaam. It was also decided and confirmed that we should ask the United States for help with the supply of surveyors and survey teams as my right hon. Friend had suggested. There has been a considerable amount of criticism about the engagement of these survey teams but I think there has been a complete misunderstanding on the point. It Was never intended that Dominions and British surveyors should be excluded and we are making efforts to get as many adequately qualified British and Dominions surveyors as we can.

I turn now from the question of rail to that of road transport. There is one great road, the great North Road from Broken Hill to Dodoma and Nairobi and over to the Uganda border. That is supposed to be an all-weather road, at least, a good part of it is. But, as hon. Members who have travelled on it will agree, it is not what we in this country would regard as an all-weather road and it is not possible in all weathers to proceed along it with any sort of expedition. Because of this we have allocated £1,750,000 out of the Colonial Welfare and Development Fund for the improvement of the road to try to make it as far as possible a real all-weather road

There is no time to go into the questions of Walvis Bay and Beira. The congestion at Beira is a matter which gives us considerable concern, as it does to the Portuguese authorities. The strain on the port is tremendous, but we are consulting with the Portuguese authorities to see what can be done to facilitate matters. Walvis Bay does not come within the responsibilities of my right hon. Friend's Department at all. Actually the proposed route would not go through any colonial territory whatsoever. I understand, however, from what I have heard, that the railway is not likely to be built in the immediate future because, of course, there is very little economic demand for it over a large part of the route.

In regard to the question by the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Dodds-Parker), the calling of a conference of Powers with African responsibilities on the whole question of transport in Africa is now being considered. We readily appreciate the point he has put, that it is most desirable that these problems of Africa—transport, water, tsetse, all of which are common to these vast areas—shall be considered as a whole by whatever Powers have the responsibility. So far as we are concerned all the various solutions found by our scientists and the technical skill we have are always freely at the disposal of other Powers who have African responsibilities.

As to the International Bank about which I was asked, we have, as hon. Members know, already a Bill which has passed its Second Reading, which deals with loans from the bank and matters under the Bill are now being discussed with the directors of the bank. So, on the whole, I think the House will be satisfied that we are using every possible effort to make this great continent of Africa what it should be and to develop it in the way we all wish it to develop.

The Question having been proposed after Ten o'clock and the Debate having continued for half an hour Mr. DEPUTY SPEAKER adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.

Adjourned at Thirteen Minutes past Eleven o'clock.