§ 13. Mr. Rankinasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies to what extent it is the policy of His Majesty's Government to encourage co-operative trading in Nyasaland.
§ Mr. J. GriffithsIt is the policy of His Majesty's Government to encourage the development of all forms of co-operative enterprise in Nyasaland, as in other Colonial Territories. At the end of 1949 there were 31 consumers' societies in Nyasaland, and since then seven further 2075 societies have been established in the Northern Province. A union of the Northern Province societies to import certain consumer goods is being formed. My adviser on co-operation recently spent three weeks in Nyasaland.
§ Mr. RankinIs my right hon. Friend aware that the Kota-Kota Co-operative Store at Mzuzu has been closed down by the Colonial Development Corporation after the Corporation had invited it to trade? Can he say if the Nyasaland Government has made any protest about the matter to the Colonial Development Corporation?
§ Mr. GriffithsI have no information about it. If my hon. Friend will put the details to me in the form of a Question I will do my best to give him an answer.
§ Mr. RankinI did try to put the details down, but they were rejected by the Table.
§ Mr. GriffithsIf my hon. Friend will write to me about it, I will then write to him.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydArising out of the last supplementary question, will the right hon. Gentleman use this illustration to re-open once more the matter of the admissibility of Questions about the Colonial Development Corporation and the Overseas Food Corporation?