§ Mr. MANDERasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies whether forced labour is being employed in con- 355W nection with the new railway in Uganda; whether voluntary labour only is being employed in the building of the railway at Kavirondo, Kenya; and what are the rates of pay in both cases?
§ Dr. SHIELSAs regards the first part of the question, a report has recently been received from the Governor of Uganda. The criterion which distinguishes forced labour from voluntary labour is that forced labour is exacted under the menace of a penalty for its non-performance. The railway now under construction in Uganda runs wholly through the area occupied by the Baganda; and the Kabaka of Buganda, being anxious to avoid the importation of labour from other districts, made it known through the channels of the native Government that it was his wish that his people should undertake the work of constructing the railway, with the result that no difficulty has been experienced in obtaining volunteers who have presented themselves willingly for the work in response to the calls made upon them by the chiefs. It is no doubt the case that the Kabaka's wish was regarded by the majority of the Baganda as tantamount to a command, but it was not an order enforceable at law. Unfortunately, a few persons were punished in the native Courts for refusing to work on the railway before the matter came to the notice of the district officers, who took such action as was then possible. The Governor of Uganda recognises that any such prosecutions are inconsistent with the Protectorate legislation, and steps have been taken to prevent, as far as possible, any recurrence.
As regards the second part of the question, my Noble Friend has no reason to suppose that the labour employed on the construction of the railway in Kavirondo is not entirely voluntary labour. As regards the last part of the question, information regarding the rate of wages being paid for work on the railway in Uganda will be obtained. According to the latest available report of the Native Affairs Department in Kenya, the rate of wages for work on the Kavirondo line averaged from Sh.16 to Sh.20 a month plus rations.