HC Deb 03 December 1957 vol 579 cc208-9
38. Mr. Pargiter

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the amounts to be spent from recurrent revenue by the Government of Nyasaland for the year 1957–58 on police and agriculture, respectively.

Mr. Profumo

The amount for police is £447,757. The amount for agriculture in its narrowest sense, excluding animal husbandry, forestry, and conservation and improvement of water supplies, is £414,245.

Mr. Pargiter

Does not the Under-Secretary consider these expenditure figures totally out of balance, having regard to the extreme poverty in Nyasaland and the urgent need for agricultural improvement? if we can afford to spend this amount of money on the police, why cannot we afford to spend more on agriculture?

Mr. Profumo

It is not unreasonable, having regard to the size of the population and the size of the territory.

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