§ 30. Sir P. Macdonaldasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will make a statement about the recent African Conference in London; and what developments are likely to result.
Mr. Creech JonesThe African Conference, which met at Lancaster House from 29th September to 9th October, was attended by 66 delegates representing the Legislative Councils of ten African territories and from the East African Central Legislative Assembly. All but 12 of the delegates were unofficials; 33 of them were Africans. Observers attended from France, Belgium, Portugal, the Union of South Africa, Southern Rhodesia, the Sudan and the South African High Commission territories.
Delegates heard addresses from four Cabinet Ministers on different aspects of general policy from Lord Trefgarne on the work of the Colonial Development Corporation and from the C.I.G.S. on Africa in relation to world strategy. Representatives from East, West and Central Africa discussed common problems and exchanged views with Ministers and officials on economic development, educational and medical policy, public relations and local government. Arrangements were made to enable delegates to discuss several of these subjects regionally so that they could deal more effectively with their territorial and regional points of view.
108WThe delegates were received by His Majesty The King, and were entertained by His Majesty's Government. They had the opportunity of visiting industrial concerns, and agricultural, educational and local government institutions in different parts of the country, and they received a warm welcome and generous hospitality from public bodies and private concerns and persons wherever they went.
The many matters raised in the discussions and their bearing on present policy are now being studied by the Colonial Office and by colonial Governments. It is, therefore, too early to judge the full effect of this Conference but I believe that it has done much to promote better understanding and to increase the good will between this country and the African territories and I am confident that developments from it, although they cannot be precisely defined, will be beneficial.