§ 107. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies when he hopes to announce the final liquidation of the tangata system of African land tenure in Nyasaland; how many acres of land the British Central African Company own under this system; and what is the number of African squatters still paying rent to European landlords.
§ Mr. AmeryIt is not yet possible to say when the tangata system will be finally liquidated but steady progress has been made since 1955 and the number of resident African families still subject to tangata obligations has been reduced from 42,000 to 15,700.
The British Central Africa Company owns 23,731 acres of land on which live 550 African families subject to tangata obligations.
It is not possible to estimate how many of the 15,700 African families still subject to tangata obligations actually pay rent to European estate owners, but I am informed that in the great majority of cases rent is neither demanded nor paid.