§ Squadron-Leader Donnerasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what measures have been taken, or are in contemplation, to ensure that the smaller colonies to which considerable sums are allocated under the Colonial Development and Welfare Act have a sufficient staff both in quality and quantity to carry the works into execution.
Mr. Creech JonesThe problem raised in this Question has received very considerable attention. In the case of the West Indies, advice and assistance in connection with Colonial Development and Welfare schemes is given to the various West Indian Governments by the Comptroller for Development and Welfare, whose headquarters are in Barbados, and his technical staff. A list of this staff is given in the Civil Estimates, Class 11, Head 11, sub-head 2 (a)
88WIn addition, both in the West Indies and elsewhere Colonial Development and Welfare schemes have provided, in a large number of cases, for assistance to the smaller Colonies to enable them to employ expert staff, to help carry out schemes, at salaries which the Colonies themselves could not afford to pay unaided. Examples of such schemes are those which have provided for the employment of a construction staff in the Gambia for work on the drainage and reclamation of Bathurst (scheme D.630), for the appointment of agricultural officers in St. Helena (scheme D.136A), of a civil engineer (D.361) and a Scientific Adviser in Agriculture (D.580) in the Seychelles, of an architect and planning officer in Barbados (D.621) of a Public Health Engineering Unit (D.359), and for the appointment of civil engineers in the Windward and Leeward Islands (D.360).
The possibility of giving further assistance in the execution of approved schemes under the Act is constantly kept in mind