§ Sir R. Glynasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much money has been spent during the last two years on the supply of water and the improvement of communications and harbours in the West African colonies; and how much of this was borne by local taxes and how much by the Colonial Development Fund or by private enterprise?
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Mr. M. MacDonaldThe amounts provided from local revenue (either actual or estimated) are as follow:
— Waterworks. Improvement of Communications. Improvement of Harbours. £ £ £ Gambia 3,976 6,499 500 Gold Coast 133.757 490,831 20,330 Nigeria 175,200 488,335 37.910 Sierra Leone 4,904 64,230 1,100 In addition, considerable sums are spent in Nigeria on waterworks and road improvements by the native administrations. These amounts are in the neighbourhood of £118,000 and £200,000 respectively over the two-year period. Corresponding figures for Gambia, the Gold Coast and Sierra Leone are not available.
The above figures are necessarily approximate, since they do not include any proportion of the salaries of the officers employed on these works.
No information is available regarding sums spent by private enterprise.
Issues from the Colonial Development Fund during the period 1st July, 1937, to 30th June, 1939, which are not included in the totals above, were:
£ Gambia. Water supply, Bathurst 4.500 Gold Coast. Air Services Ground Organisation 54,85O Nigeria. Air Services Ground Organisation 51,000 Sierra Leone. Canalisation of Streams and improvement of Street Drainage, Freetown 4,860 Circular Road round Peninsula 13,675