§ Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what provision has been made by the Government of Aden for the establishment of modern cotton ginneries.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd:There are two modern cotton ginneries in the Aden Protectorate, one in Abyan and one at Lahej. The former was provided by the Abyan Board from its own funds, and the latter was financed by a loan from the Abyan Board which itself was initially financed by a loan from Her Majesty's Government. These two ginneries are arequate to handle the entire Protectorate cotton crop. There are no cotton ginneries in Aden Colony.
§ Mr. Brockwayasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies haw many persons were employed in 1955–56 by the port authorities and in the cotton ginneries in Aden, of Adenese, Somali and other nationality, respectively.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd:In 1955–56 the Port Trust and the commercial firms in the port employed 1,111 and 4,360 persons respectively; the racial breakdown is not known. The Abyan ginnery employs about 40 persons, increasing to about 200 in the ginning season; all except three or four technicians are local Protectorate Arabs. Figures are not available for the Lahej ginnery, which is smaller than that at Abyan, but all employees except one or two technicians are local Arabs.