§ 37. Mr. J. Hyndasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has now heard from the Governors of Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland concerning the adoption of the Lidbury Commission recommendations on Civil Services rates and conditions in their application to African employees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland Governments have decided that the recommendations of the Lidbury Commission would not be suitable in those territories. Revised salaries and conditions of service for the African Civil Service have, however, been introduced in Nyasaland and the Government of Northern Rhodesia will shortly be announcing a revision there also.
§ Mr. HyndIs the Minister aware that this Commission, after going very thoroughly into the matter, recommended that these Civil Service conditions should be applied, irrespectve of race, and that this was accepted by the Kenya Government? In those circumstances, would the Minister explain why these conditions are not acceptable in Northern Rhodesia?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydIt is always dangerous to compare situations in differing territories. One must remember that in East Africa the basis of the Lidbury proposals was that there should be the same basic salary for Africans as for locally recruited Europeans, but that there should be an inducement payment to people recruited from outside. In the case of the two Northern Territories in the Federation, regard should be paid to the fact that there would naturally be reluctance on the part of the Federal Government to accept differentiations between the salaries of officers recruited in Southern Rhodesia and those recruited from outside. This is one of the differences, but at the end of the day what matters is the pay packets of the African employees, and I am satisfied that in both territories there should be worth-while improvements.
§ Mr. HyndDoes that mean that Southern Rhodesian practice is being adopted in the other parts of the Federation?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNo, certainly not.