NEW DOMINION PROPOSED

Southland Times, Issue 23646, 22 October 1938, Page 21

NEW DOMINION PROPOSED

INQUIRY BY ROYAL COMMISSION . NYASALAND AND THE RHODESIAS LONDON September 12. Lord Bledisloe has completed the first part of his task as chairman of the Royal Commission which has been inquiring into the possibilities of closer association between the two Rhodesias and Nyasaland. The commission was set up in.answer to repeated representations in favour of the amalgamations of Northern Rhodesia and Southern Rhodesia into one self-governing unit, and chief interest lies in whether Lord Bledisloe and his colleagues will recommend that responsibility for the administration of this vast territory should be transferred entirely to the Government at Salisbury. Since union with South Africa was rejected by Southern Rhodesia, the creation of a new Dominion in South Central Africa has attracted growing support, official and unofficial; but the scarcity of European population—little more than 60,000 today—has all along been recognized as an obstacle. THE COMMISSION’S WORK On arrival at Southampton, on Saturady, with Lady Bledisloe, Lord Bledisloe said: “We took evidence from more than 200 people of all sections of the community, both European and natives,” Lord Bledisloe said at Southampton. “Now we have to consider our report, which eventually will be submitted to the King through the Government department concerned. “In all three territories the Royal Commission received a most cordial and hospitable welcome, and the fullest possible information was furnished to us from both official and unofficial sources. “We shall now have to consider whether, and to what extent, we can recommend closer union of the three territories. The solution to the problem is rendered more difficult by the paucity of the unofficial European population in Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland.

“In Southern Rhodesia there are 55,000 whites and 1,300,000 natives; in Northern Rhodesia, 13,000 whites and 1,400,000 natives; while in little Nyasaland there are 1,600,000 natives, a very congested population, and only 3000 whites, most of whom are Government officials.” The bulk of the evidence was in favour of closer relations, with the arnalgamationists in the majority, but few even of the out-and-out amalgamationists, said The Manchester Guardian, have been in favour of incorporating Nyasaland. The general feeling is that, for the time being at least, the Bledisloe Commission will be content to recommend a centralization of Government agencies such as the Post Office and Defence, leaving political amalgamation until further development has taken place. fi