§ Mr. Owenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the residential and labour conditions under which Africans are employed in prospecting for uranium-bearing ores in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland; and what are their wages.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd,pursuant to Mr. Profumo's reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th July. 1957; Vol. 573, c. 96], supplied the following further information:
In Northern Rhodesia no prospecting is confined solely to uranium-bearing ore. The residential and labour conditions for Africans employed in prospecting are 172W those usually obtaining under camping conditions. In the remote areas employers provide rations in kind and allocate time for the erection of temporary bush quarters. Wages for unskilled workers vary from £2 12s. to £4 15s. monthly, according to the locality. Wages for semi-skilled and skilled workers vary from £9 to £25 monthly according to qualifications.
In Nyasaland there is one Company prospecting for uranium-bearing ores, which employs an African labour force of approximately 130. Of those, 90 are housed by the company in houses of traditional construction, each house being occupied either by one family or by three bachelors, while the remaining 40 to 50 employees live in their own villages, motor transport provided by the company where necessary. Employees engaged on tunnelling work in the pits are issued with protective clothing consisting of overalls, boots and tin helmets. The wages of those housed on the site vary from 1s. 8d. to 2s. 9d. per 8-hour day in addition, rations are supplied in kind. Labourers living in their own villages are engaged at 1s. 6d. per 5-hour day.