§ 56. Mr. Pargiterasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what special arrangements are being made by the Government of Northern Rhodesia to find alternative employment for the unemployed African miners from the Bancroft Mine; and what is the number of Africans who have applied to return 1030 to their tribal homes and the number who reside in the area with their families.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThrough the expanded Government employment exchange services, 500 vacancies at the Kariba hydro-electric project will be offered for Africans, including miners. The Northern Rhodesian Government's £2 million development plan for the two Northern Provinces will absorb others. Up to last Friday, 1,225 Africans had volunteered for immediate repatriation, and already 165, accompanied by 78 wives and 143 children, have been repatriated. At the end of January there were 4,209 Africans employed at The mine, of whom 2,430 had their families with them.
§ Mr. PargiterMay I ask the Secretary of State particularly what is being done for those families who have now been uprooted from their tribal areas and settled in the mining area in the matter of finding them employment, or at least maintaining them while employment is being found?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydHelp is being given in a variety of ways. I will gladly write to the hon. Member and give him particulars, or have them published in the OFFICIAL. REPORT.