§ 19. Mr. Wilfred Palingasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what scheme has been approved by the municipality of Mufulira, Northern Rhodesia, to provide 500 served sites for housing additional personnel of the Mufulira Copper Mines Limited; and if the housing sites provided will be available to Africans and Europeans.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Mufulira Municipal Board has agreed to make available to the Mining Company 500 serviced sites in the Government township for the erection of houses for additional members of the European staff. As explained in my reply to the right hon. Member on 19th December, the Mining Company itself makes all necessary provision for housing its African employees.
§ Mr. PalingIf this municipality finds it necessary and desirable to provide houses for Europeans, would it not be a good thing if it found the time and money to provide houses for Africans, too, and would not that be likely to lead to better relations?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI went into this when I was in Northern Rhodesia. This is an imaginative attempt to link the destinies of the people of the mining areas with the life of the community as a whole, and it needs every encouragement in the interests of all races. There is nothing to stop an African from living in the township if he is prepared to abandon 1112 the obvious advantages, from his point of view, of living in houses provided by the mining company.