§ Mr. Hamiltonasked the President of the Board of Trade the amount of new factory building completed in Scotland in the first half of 1952; and what were the comparable figures for 1950 and 1951.
§ Mr. P. ThorneycroftThe information required is as follows:
increase the output of wolfram from Uganda and to produce nickel in Tanganyika; and whether he will state the total likely shipments of each metal from those countries in 1952 and 1953 respectively.
§ Mr. MackesonA statement was made in August by the Uganda Government about the facilities available for the development of wolfram production. This included an offer by the Ministry of Materials to purchase the output of wolfram concentrates at market prices with a guaranteed minimum price for a period of five years.
The Uganda Government's technical services, which have been expanded, will advise miners on technical problems and prospecting licences, to promote an orderly development of the wolfram resources of the country. I am sending the right hon. Member a copy of the statement of the Uganda Government.
Shipments of wolfram ore from Uganda to the United Kingdom are estimated at 40 tons (metal content) in 1952, and may reach double this figure next year.
As regards the production of nickel in Tanganyika, I am informed that a private company have special exclusive prospecting licences covering 1,678 square miles. The work is still at an exploratory stage, and I am not able to make any statement on the likelihood of production.