§ Mr. Dodds-Parkerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether in view of the world shortage of sisal, everything possible is being done by the authorities in East Africa to assist owners of large and small sisal estates to extend their areas of cultivation and to aid them in the recruitment of suitable labour and in all other directions.
Mr. Creech JonesThe Governments of the East African territories are fully seized of the importance of maintaining as high a production as possible of sisal and give all assistance to the industry which they properly can, to that end. I am assured that permission to extend acreages under sisal cultivation is invariably granted where the acreage is considered to be within the capacity of the grower and his equipment. As regards the recruitment of labour, the industry, which has its own recruiting organisation, is given full opportunity within the provisions of the law to engage its requirements of labour and I consider that the recent substantial increase in the purchase price of sisal should materially assist the industry to offer attractive terms and conditions to labour.