§ 23. Mr. John Hallasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how many successful prosecutions have been made in Sierra Leone during 1957 under the Alluvial Diamond Mining Ordinance, 1956.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydNine hundred and sixty-two.
§ Mr. HallDoes the fall in the rate of convictions mean that we have succeeded in dealing with the problem of illicit diamond mining? Is it less serious than it was?
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am afraid that it remains still as serious. The Governor, in a rather picturesque phrase, says that it is like trying to keep wasps away from a jampot at an August picnic.