§ Mr. Westasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress is being made in the clearance of the accumulated stocks of groundnuts at Kano, Nigeria.
Mr. Creech JonesIncreased locomotive failures have caused a decline in the railings of groundnuts from Kano during the last few months. Some difficulty has also been experienced in shipping the various components for the new wagons. However, a considerable quantity of wagon parts has now arrived in Nigeria. When erected, the additional wagons with the 26 new locomotives also available should enable the monthly railings to be substantially increased. Unfortunately, this setback means that the earlier expectation of a clearance of the present stocks by the end of January next may not now be fulfilled, but the Nigerian authorities are doing their utmost by every possible means including the maximum use of river transport to make up for the drop in railings in the past months.