NOTE. A Statement explanatory of the Estimates for Colonial Colonial and Middle Eastern Services, 1928, Class II. 9. PREFACE. The Estimate is an amalgamation of the hitherto separate Estimates for Colonial Services and for Middle Eastern Services. It shows a net decrease of £457,244 after allowing for charges transferred to the Votes for the Army and Air Force. The grant to Cyprus is increased from £50,000 to £92,800 in view of the decision taken by His Majesty's Government last year that the Island should be relieved entirely of the burden of its contribution towards the Ottoman Public Debt charge by the increase of the Grant-in-Aid to an equivalent sum. Cyprus now contributes £10,000 per annum towards Imperial Defence. An increased grant has been provided for development in Dominica in accordance with a programme spread over several years. On the other hand, both Nyasaland and Somaliland require less in view of their improved financial position, while the grant for St. Lucia is this year solely in respect of an estimated deficit of revenue, whereas last year the Supplementary Estimate of July, 1927, provided for assistance towards reconstruction and relief of distress in connexion with the disastrous fire which largely destroyed Castries. Of the group of Other Grants, that for Colonial Agricultural Scholarships alone shows a small increase made in the expectation that the number of scholars forthcoming will approach nearer to the maximum number of 20 contemplated by the scheme. The four Western Pacific High Commission Services show a total increase of £1,696. This is mainly explained by the necessity for relief arrangements while the Agent at Tonga is on leave of absence, and by the inclusion of a sum towards salary and expenses of an officer to give legal assistance in connexion with the hearing of British Land claims by the new Hebrides Joint Court. The inclusion of Middle Eastern Services in this Vote was the result of a decision by His Majesty's Government that the separate Vote should disappear, and that the items should be transferred to appropriate Votes, i.e., Army, Air Force, and Colonial Services. The latter Vote bears the extra cost of defence over the normal charges for the forces employed. The Middle Eastern group shows. a net decrease of £471,000. Practically the whole of this reduction is in expenditure of a military nature. In 'Iraq it is due to the reduced strength of the British garrison, and the Native 2247 A 2 the Iraq Army. In Palestine and Trans-Jordan it represents decreased contributions towards the Trans-Jordan Frontier Force. There is also a decrease of £22,000 in the Grant-in-Aid of TransJordan Administration. The Aden provision includes estimated expenditure on a small local military force to be raised there, in addition to civil expenditure in connexion with the Protectorate, apart from the Settlement for which India remains responsible. 66 Under Miscellaneous the allowance hitherto paid to the British Resident at Brunei, Borneo Subhead, has now been transferred to local revenues. The item therefore disappears. The amount necessary for Passages of Governors varies from year to year according to the probable movements of Governors at the expiration of their term of office in normal course. Governors receive these allowances according to a fixed scale, laid down in the Regulations for His Majesty's Colonial Service, on taking up their appointments, and on relinquishing them at the end of their term, for the purpose of meeting their various expenses including the passages of their families and staff. The fixed scale. is temporarily increased by 50 per cent. Under Boundary Commissions is included £1,000 for the salaries during leave of the British Commissioners who delimited the Jubaland boundary on the transfer of that district from Kenya to Italy in accordance with the Treaty with Italy of 1924. This Commission is now dispersed. The Rhodesia-Congo Boundary Commission has been in the field since July, 1927, and the work now undertaken is expected to last quite two years. A Commission to begin work on the boundary between British and Italian Somaliland is now being arranged and is expected to commence operations in the field about November, 1928. Appropriations-in-Aid of this Vote show increases in respect of the 'Iraq Native Levies arising out of disposal of buildings, etc., on disbandment of part of the Force, and on account of the receipts from the Western Pacific for fees, fines, etc., hitherto paid to the Exchequer. Extra Receipts, being cash payable to the Exchequer, in respect of interest and sinking fund contributions on loans to East African Governments provided on the Colonial Services Vote in former years, are estimated for as usual; that for Nyasaland is correspondingly higher in view of the resumption of sinking fund payments which had been suspended for two years. Receipts in respect of the Port of Basrah and the Kamaran Quarantine Station now find place in this Estimate with the transfer of Middle Eastern Services. NOTES ON MATTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST. A Summary of the Proceedings of the Colonial Office Conference,* held at the Colonial Office from the 10th to the 31st May, 1927, and a volume of Appendices thereto, have been published as Cmd. 2883 and Cmd. 2884. Steps have been, or are being, taken in consultation with Colonial Governments, to give effect to many of the recommendations of the Conference; in particular the proposal for the formation of a unified Colonial Agricultural Service and the creation of a Headquarters Advisory Council of Agriculture and Animal Health has been pursued by a Committee under the Chairmanship of Lord Lovat. The Report of this Committee has been published as Cmd. 3049, and the Secretary of State has recently communicated their recommendations to Colonial Governments, with a view to ascertaining whether they agree to the initial steps being taken to give effect to the scheme. An outstanding feature during the past year in the progress and development of the Colonial Empire has been the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference, which was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries from the 4th to the 28th of October, 1927. This Conference was attended by delegates from twenty-four Colonies, Protectorates, and other Dependencies. A full Report and Summary of the proceedings of the Conference has been published as a Non-Parliamentary Paper, and copies have been distributed to the oversea Governments concerned. Another important event during the past year has been the Imperial Education Conference, which met at the Board of Education from the 20th of June to the 8th of July, 1927, and at which some sixteen Colonial Governments were represented. The Report+ of its proceedings has also been published and distributed to Colonial Governments. See pages 5-6 of last year's Statement, Cmd. 2906. † Non-Parliamentry Publication, 1927. 2247 A 3 EAST AFRICAN DEPENDENCIES. (a) GENERAL. A Commission, with Sir Hilton Young as Chairman, was appointed last year to consider the question of securing more effective co-operation between the several British Governments in Eastern and Central Africa. The Commission left for East Africa last December and returned to this country in May, and they are now engaged in the preparation of their report. Kenya. The Native Lands Trust Bill which has passed Second Reading and a Select Committee has been provisionally held up by the Secretary of State pending his consideration of the views of the Closer Union Commission on the general problem of native land tenure. Tanganyika. The system of indirect native administration the institution of which was referred to in last year's Statement* was further extended during 1927 and has proved to be effective and popular with all sections of the community. In particular, it was found possible to establish such native administrations in some of the coastal areas where tribal organization had previously almost ceased to exist. Northern Rhodesia. In Northern Rhodesia in the autumn of 1927, the Joint AngloBelgian Boundary Commission commenced an intensive delimitation of the Congo Zambesi Watershed Section of the Boundary. Work on this is at present proceeding. In March, 1928, the Northern Rhodesia (Crown Lands and Native Reserves) Order in Council was passed establishing certain native reserves in the East Luangwa District of Northern Rhodesia. (b) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. Kenya and Uganda. The Governor of Kenya has in contemplation schemes for further land settlement and an agreement under the Empire Settlement Act for joint assistance to intending settlers from this country is under consideration. A scheme has been arranged, in conjunction with the Empire Marketing Board, for assisting the importation of pedigree live stock into Kenya from the United Kingdom. Other Cmd. 2906. |