HC Deb 08 December 1954 vol 535 cc1076-86

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

9.59 p.m.

Mrs. Eirene White (Flint, East)

The half-hour allotted to this debate is not long enough to do more than touch upon a few of the problems which could be included under the heading of development in Nyasaland. I had the pleasure of visiting that very beautiful country this summer. My visit was a brief one, but I went not entirely unprepared. Since I came back—

It being Ten o'Clock, the Motion for the Adjournment of the House lapsed, without Question put.

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

Mrs. White

—I have had the opportunity to check my information with more knowledgeable people here at home.

When I was there I had the chance of listening to the views of a great many people, both official and unofficial—Africans, Europeans, and Asians—and I should like to take this opportunity of expressing my thanks, especially to many Government officials who were extremely kind and most helpful, from the Acting Governor downwards, and also to the leaders of the African organisation in Blantyre and Limbe who came to meet me.

The standard of administration in Nyasaland is equal to that in any British Colonial Territory, but I was disturbed to find that a number of vacancies existed, especially in the administrative service in the field. I should like to ask the Minister if he can comment upon this position. I do not need to remind him that there are other examples of Colonial Territories where quite serious consequences have ensued because there have been too few officers in close touch with the people in their day-to-day life.

When I asked a Question upon this matter a fortnight ago I was told that there were then 18 vacancies in the administrative staff, which, for a territory of the size of Nyasaland, is a serious matter. I hope that the recruitment for these vacancies will be expedited, more especially as at this time some of the most senior officers in the service in Nyasaland are retiring, or shortly will be. Nyasaland is in a transition stage and, perhaps, a rather self-conscious one, owing to the impact of federation.

I now turn to political matters. On the constitutional side, the burning question for all politically-conscious Nyasalanders is the manner in which the undertaking given on 24th May by Mr. Lyttelton, as he then was, upon the representation of Africans, is to be implemented. My hon. Friend the Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson) wishes to say something about that matter, so I shall leave that for the moment, simply saying that I very much hope that the time has now come when we may have a definite statement from the Government, for which we have now been waiting for some time. If no definite statement is made shortly, there will be considerable disappointment in Nyasaland.

As time is short, I propose to go no further into the political aspects of development, but to mention another undertaking of Lord Chandos upon which I think we should also have a progress report, namely, the question of land purchase. Negotiations for the purchase of the remainder of the estate land in the Southern Province have now been going on for some time. It is three months since I was in Nyasaland and I was then told, not merely by Africans but also by people in the Administration, that they were extremely anxious that there should be no unnecessary delay in coming to a conclusion on this matter.

It has been suggested that the protracted negotiations are due to some necessity to have regard to the susceptibilities of British shareholders in the companies concerned. All I can say is that I only wish that some of those shareholders could have been with me in the Southern Province and seen for themselves the contrast between the land which is already under Government control and some of the land on the estates.

Upon land which I saw, which was being supervised by the agricultural officers, soil erosion measures were being taken most energetically, by means of terracing and so forth, and it seemed that a really first-class job was being done by co-operation between the agricultural officers and the local inhabitants. By contrast, when one went to the estates and saw some of the land there, which is the land in question—and, of course, it is understood that that is not the land under plantation crops, but the land settled very thickly by African families—to my mind, there was a display of neglect and even of squalor.

It seemed to me that the sooner that that land, which I myself saw—and I was told that it was a fair sample—is brought under the Administration, and the cooperation of the people there is secured in order to improve it, the better it will be. I very much hope that the Minister is in a position to give some indication that the negotiations for the purchase of this land are nearing a conclusion. I am quite sure that if people in this country who feel that their financial interests were affected could see for themselves, they really would not haggle over the last shilling per acre.

There is another but smaller land question in the Northern Province concerning the mission land which has been offered to the Government on certain conditions. Again, the negotiations have been going on for quite a while, and I hope the Minister can give us some indication of what stage has now been reached. The missions are asking that this land should be treated as African trust land, but the Government have other views. My own opinion is that, in the Northern Province—and I stress that, because conditions in the south are somewhat different—the conditions suggested by the missions are sound and valid, and the only ones on which I believe we shall secure the concurrence of the local population. I therefore hope that these negotiations are also nearing fruition.

If I may turn to another aspect of the economic development of the country, concerning the Shire River scheme, I know quite well that the Colonial Secretary has no direct responsibility for this scheme, because it is a Federal subject. On the other hand, he has a direct and very serious responsibility for the wellbeing of Nyasaland, and this scheme is of such paramount importance for the future development of the country that I hope very much that, if the report of the consulting engineers, which I understand is now officially available, is favourable, Her Majesty's Government in this country will seriously consider doing what they can to expedite it.

Although they have no primary responsibility for a Federal matter, they are nevertheless in a position to offer financial assistance through United Kingdom funds. I hope that they will look at this scheme most seriously, and will feel able to make some offer of future assistance, because otherwise, if it is left solely to Federal resources, it is bound to take its place in the queue. It is not merely a hydro-electric scheme, but also includes irrigation, flood control and a measure of control over the level of the lake which will make a very useful contribution towards better transport facilities on the lake.

Altogether, it is the type of scheme of multiple benefit which is really so important that it will be worth while making a positive gesture to expedite it, if that can be done from this country. I know that African opinion in Nyasaland is very much on the alert concerning this matter, and I think that, possibly, apart from the constitutional matters, no single act could give greater confidence or better sustain the moderate element in Nyasaland than some gesture from this country towards this scheme.

I wish to say a word about another aspect of economic development, namely, the technical education of the Africans in Nyasaland which would enable them to play a greater part in their own economic development. I am encouraged to do this by passages in the latest Report of the Department of Labour in Nyasaland, in which it is stated categorically: There is a severe shortage of artisans and craftsmen, coupled with a growing demand for technical education. The shortage, particularly of competent carpenters and builders, has been a check upon development. Artisan training facilities have for long been recognised as inadequate. The Report then goes on to refer to the two schemes for technical training which have already been embarked upon. Of course, one very much welcomes both those schemes for what they are worth. Frankly, they do not seem to me to go very far. The output at one school, according to the statement, would be about 15 per annum, and of the other, ultimately, 24 per annum. That is not going to create an industrial revolution in Nyasaland.

I am well aware that an adequate basis of primary education has not yet been achieved to enable the wider schemes which one would like to see to be carried out in the immediate future. I hope that emphasis will be laid upon teacher training, in particular at the primary stage. It is not a question of more extensive primary education, but of improving the quality of the schools already in existence, partly, of course, for reasons of technical education, and, partly, to enable students from Nyasaland to qualify for entry into the new university at Salisbury, which otherwise they would be quite unable to do.

Another important point is the need to have objective standards of trade testing. If the City and Guilds project for an overseas certificate goes through, as I trust it will, I hope that Nyasaland will be one of the first countries to adopt that method of objective testing. That is very necessary because Nyasaland is part of the Federation, in the other two countries of which there is an industrial colour bar. Therefore, it is essential that Nyasaland workmen should know that they can look the world in the face because they have a standard which is recognised.

Time, unfortunately, will not permit me to go into other matters with which I should very much like to deal tonight, because I want to leave the Minister ample time in which to reply to the points I have raised. Much as I enjoyed my brief visit to Nyasaland, I came away with possibly even more question marks than when I went. It is a country of which most people who have been there become extremely fond. The people are intelligent and enterprising, and they deserve every chance.

They are in a very uneasy partnership in the Federation. They were reluctant members of the Federation, and when one hears of the way in which Nyasaland is referred to in both Rhodesias, in Southern Rhodesia in particular, one can perfectly appreciate their apprehensions. It seems to me that we in this House still have residual responsibilities, and I very much hope that we shall do our best, on the lines which I have suggested, to take positive action to meet those responsibilities.

10.10 p.m.

Mr. James Johnson (Rugby)

I merely rise to make one point, but before doing so I wish to echo all that has been said by my hon. Friend the Member for Flint, East (Mrs. White) about economic development. When one lands at the airport at Chileka, one finds in that southern area a lack of fuel and a shortage of housing and of land. I would plead for some serious economic planning in the South. They are quiet there now, but I believe that the Africans are only waiting until the Governor has made his statement of future changes after visiting the United Kingdom and talking with the Secretary of State for the Colonies.

I believe that the time has come to give the Africans the franchise, with popular election to the Legislative Council. If I may, I should like to suggest some tests of eligibility to vote upon which the Minister might perhaps comment. I have in mind such tests as an educational test to standard 6, or perhaps an income test of £80 a year or, for those who are illiterate, consideration might be given to nominating those of standing and responsibility in, of course, African society.

If we could go one stage further, I would also plead for parity of representation on the Legislative Council. I would suggest six African members as opposed to or alongside the six European and Asian members combined. That is fearfully important because, as the hon. Lady the Member for Flint, East has said, Nyasaland is the poor neighbour to the two Rhodesias and this principle of parity is important psychologically. The Africans themselves set great store by it, and if we are to hold them, and have them working and co-operating within the Federation, we shall need to do such things as these to secure them as willing partners in this great multi-racial experiment in Central Africa.

10.16 p.m.

The Minister of State for Colonial Affairs (Mr. Henry Hopkinson)

The hon. Lady the Member for Flint, East (Mrs. White) has covered a very wide field, but was kind enough to give me a note of some of her points, which I shall now endeavour to answer.

Like all visitors to Nyasaland, she has obviously fallen under its spell. I sympathise with all that she has said about endeavours to improve conditions in that lovely country. Her first point related to staffing problems, vacancies amongst administrative officers, and so on. In reply to a Parliamentary Question, I told her, on 17th November, what vacancies were outstanding and what the prospects were of filling them.

To that reply I can really only add that every effort is made, by means of notice board advertisements, etc., to find suitable candidates. I think that, with the number of retirements from the Sudan political and administrative services, as well as from the technical service, which are now going on, we might possibly find some useful applicants in that field, which those of us who know the Sudan service have always so much admired.

Both hon. Members referred to the constitutional advance of Nyasaland. The former Secretary of State, now Lord Chandos, reported to this House on the various proposals which he had discussed with representatives of the different communities in Nyasaland. He said, I think on 24th May last, that he hoped by the end of this year to be able to lay before the House definite proposals. I am not sure that we shall be able to carry out that time-table exactly, but the Governor is in the final stages of discussions on constitutional advance in Nyasaland, and we are just as anxious as hon. Members opposite that those proposals should be laid before the House, and enacted as quickly as possible.

I do not think I can comment tonight on the proposals and suggestions of the hon. Member for Rugby (Mr. J. Johnson)—they form part of the whole question of constitutional advance—but I shall certainly note them, and see that they are communicated to the Governor.

The hon. Lady went into some detail on the question of land, and, in particular, the system of tenantry on private estates known as the Tangata system. I do not entirely agree with her. Though I am sure she did not mean to do so, she appeared to suggest that on all private estates there were conditions of neglect and squalor. I am sure that she will agree that that is not generally the case, although there are certain parts of the estates which are in a bad condition, and where some improvement is needed.

At this time, the Government of Nyasaland are negotiating with the owners of some of the larger estates, with a view to acquiring land which is closely occupied by African tenants, or else which is not scheduled for development within a reasonable period. I suggest that these negotiations ought not to be carried out in too much of a hurry because, first of all, they depend on the question of the survey of the land concerned.

I also think it is important that the actual taking over of the land in due course should be done on a basis which will encourage and not discourage sound development. My right hon. Friend has, therefore, authorised discussions with the representatives of the estates so that we can find the best approach to this problem. That would seem to be on the basis of development plans to be drawn up by each estate, so that one may vary from another.

We believe that, on the basis of these plans, the owners of the estates will be prepared to take all reasonable and practicable steps to divest themselves of land which, through settlement or for some other reason, is no longer essential to their needs, and will also be prepared to develop the rest of the land which they are to retain in the best possible manner.

Mr. J. Johnson

Will the right bon. Gentleman assure the House, in view of the fuel shortage and the extensive soil erosion, that he will bear in mind and bring to the attention of those concerned the need for a careful afforestation policy?

Mr. Hopkinson

I will make a note of that point, although I have no time to deal with it tonight.

I should like to make another comment on this question of land. It may be that on certain estates there are parts from which, although they are not densely inhabited as some of the others are, it may be possible to resettle tenants on adjoining trust land. Elsewhere, possibly in the majority of cases, where trust land or parts of newly acquired land are not so situated as to make this practicable, it may be possible to approach this problem by co-operation with estate owners and with the tenants, and to reorganise the existing layout of the estates.

For example, there may be estates where tenant settlement is not unduly heavy and yet it is, in fact, impeding development. In those cases, one can often arrange for the estate owner to reorganise his land and set aside compact areas for African occupation which could then be scheduled for acquisition by Government. By explaining the matter carefully to the Africans beforehand, we believe that we can obtain their co-operation, and make them realise that in those cases it is in their own interest to move.

All these matters, I can assure the hon. Lady, are being considered very carefully. I believe that the good will of the owners is present, and that we shall achieve satisfactory results. I am sure that this procedure, even though it may take a little longer, will in the long run be the best way of getting rid of this Tangata system on one estate after another.

The hon. Lady referred to the mission lands. My understanding is that, in general, the Africans living on mission lands are not dissatisfied with their lot. They are, in fact, in very much the same position as Africans living on trust land. Certainly in the Southern Province there is very little mission land. As for the North, I do not remember, when I was in Nyasaland, that there was any particular grievance on the part of Africans living there.

Mrs. White

I do not suggest that there is any grievance on the part of the Africans. What I am suggesting is that the Church of Scotland Mission, in particular, has offered a fairly substantial area of land to the Government, and wants to know what the situation is. Naturally the people living on the land would also like to know what the situation is.

Mr. Hopkinson

I visited the Church of Scotland Mission at Livingstonia when I was there myself, and I think I can say this. I feel quite sure that the Nyasaland Government will acquire any land that any mission, Church of Scotland or otherwise, will offer to it at a reasonable price. Sometimes that comes into it.

The hon. Lady referred to the Shire Valley project. That is a matter for the Federal Government. She made certain suggestions, which I will take note of and pass on to my right hon. Friend. I am afraid I cannot say any more this evening.

I should like to make a general observation in regard to Nyasaland about something which I myself expected when I was out there in 1952 seeking to explain the objects and aims of federation to the Africans, and that was that federation would certainly be of great material benefit to Nyasaland. That has proved to be the case. For the first time Nyasaland is now on a relatively sound financial footing, which is reflected in the fact that last year's Budget deficit of £200,000—we must remember that it is a small and poor Colony—has been turned into an estimated surplus of £20,000 for the current financial year in spite of very greatly increased territorial expenditure and a total public works programme of some £2½ million, which is quite unprecedented in the history of the territory. Federal public works include such items as the big hospital at Blantyre costing £750,000 and will give concrete demonstration of the benefits which federation has brought with it.

Mr. J. Johnson

And cheaper cigarettes, too.

Mr. Hopkinson

And cheaper cigarettes.

I think federation has brought with it the prospect of very great improvement in African education in Nyasaland, to which the hon. Lady referred. In the past, education in that Territory has been handicapped in many ways, but above all by a lack of funds and a shortage of teachers. I think recent developments will do very much to overcome these long-standing obstacles.

The steps taken last year to improve the salaries and the status in the teaching service ought to produce more recruits of good quality for this most important work. The new five-year plan for the improvement of African primary and post-primary education has been published. This will provide for an increase in the annual enrolment from 86,000 in 1953 to 130,000 by the end of the five-year plan. There is also provision for a very substantial increase in the number of teachers in training. I know that that is also one of the points which interested the hon. Lady.

She is also interested in secondary and technical education. The Government secondary school at Dedza, about which the hon. Gentleman the Member for Rugby questioned me during our debate about six months ago, has got off to a good start. It has all the makings now of a first-class school which runs both academic and technical courses, and it is well equipped for technical instruction.

It has a first-class staff. By the end of last year it had a total enrolment of 105, and as a result of a visit which has been paid by one of the Secretary of State's advisers, we hope to double the intake. I have not time to go into that in any further detail tonight. I should just like to assure the hon. Lady that this matter of technical education is under very careful examination, both in the Colonial Office and in the Territory itself.

I conclude by saying that as far as Nyasaland is concerned, we believe instead of having been the Cinderella of that part of Africa it is now well on the way to improving its condition, and that in future we can look forward, given reasonable prosperity, to a very great improvement in the standards of living and in the conditions generally in the Protectorate.

Question put and agreed to.

Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-nine Minutes past Ten o'Clock.