§ 32. Mr. Russellasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what encouragement is given to prospectors and geologists in Colonial Territories to look out for uranium deposits when surveying or searching for other materials.
§ Mr. ProfumoProspecting for uranium is encouraged in a number of ways, details of which I will, with permission, circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following are the details:
§ 1. Guarantee to mining companies
§ As regards Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland the U.K. Atomic Energy Authority has given a guarantee to mining companies operating in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland to purchase uranium concentrates 1239 up to an annual total of 500 tons under ten-year contracts up to 1972, at prices which will be reasonable in the light of world conditions at the time. A separate offer has been made to mining companies in Kenya, Uganda, Tanganyika, Swaziland and British Guiana up to a similar amount of 500 tons.
§ 2. Small lots offer
§ An offer has been made to small producers in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland under which the Authority guarantee to accept small lots of uranium concentrates up to an annual total of 100 tons over a seven-year period from March, 1957.
§ 3. Local offices
§ The Authority have set up offices at Salisbury (Southern Rhodesia) and Dodoma (Tanganyika) to give technical advice and assistance and to stimulate the search for uranium in Central and East Africa. They propose to set up a similar office in British Guiana.
§ 4. Equipment
§ The Authority is loaning free of charge radiometric equipment to the Geological Survey Departments in a number of Colonial territories.
§ 5. Visit of geologists
§ There are frequent visits to colonial territories by geologists on behalf of the Atomic Energy Authority.