HC Deb 18 July 1957 vol 573 cc1336-7
45. Mr. Brockway

asked the Prime Minister if he has now reached conclusions on methods by which the operations of small prospectors of uranium-bearing ores in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland can be co-ordinated.

The Prime Minister (Mr. Harold Macmillan)

I have written to the hon. Member about this. I understand that the mining laws of the territories concerned ensure an orderly system of registration of licences and claims. Co-ordination among prospectors is a matter for the prospectors themselves.

Mr. Brockway

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that I greatly appreciate the courteous and full letter which he sent to me? Will he consult the Secretary of State for the Colonies on whether registration alone is effective in preventing chaotic competition? For example, will he look at the rather similar position of the chaos in West Africa among diamond winners and encourage co-operative co-ordination, such as that now taking place in Ghana?

The Prime Minister

I am grateful for what the hon. Member has said. I have taken a little trouble to look into the matter. The hon. Member will appreciate that mining laws are a matter for the South Rhodesian legislature. We are not responsible for them. The arrangements by which small lots are to be purchased by the Atomic Energy Authority should have some result in encouraging smaller prospectors and producers. When the hon. Member says that they should not scramble but be co-ordinated, the problem is where co-ordination approaches monopoly and where it avoids chaos, and that is one which they must try to settle themselves.