Mr. SANDEMANasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when it is proposed to commence building the new railways in Northern Nigeria to stimulate the opening of new cotton fields?
§ Mr. AMERYI am awaiting the receipt from the Nigerian Government of the results of the engineering reconnaissance and traffic surveys which have been made and the recommendations of that Government as to which branch lines should be put in hand first. I hope that construction will be started on one or more of these branches as staff becomes available from the Makurdi-Kakuri section of the Eastern Railway.