Introduction
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1958.tb01176.x |
| Published date | 01 October 1958 |
| Date | 01 October 1958 |
Introduction
I.
Since
the
Second World
War
there has been very
rapid
growth
in the size
and
populations of towns in East
and
Central
Africa
and
an
increasing tendency
for Africans to
remain
in towns for long periods or even to become
permanent
residents in them. Problems of administrative
and
social policy to which these
developments
have
given rise have increasingly engaged
the
attention
of
Govern-
ments
and
local
government
authorities in East
and
Central
Africa,
and
these
problems, as they presented themselves in
the
three
mainland
territories
of
East Africa, were
the
subject
of
one
of
the most
important
chapters of the
Report
of
the
East Africa Royal Commission. A
number
of
reports on various aspects
of these problems have also been
made
to individual Governments in
the
area
as a result of enquiries set up by them.
It
accordingly
appeared
to the Secretary
of
State
for the Colonies
that
the
time
had
come when an exchange of views
and
experience between
the
officers of Government mainly concerned 'with
these problems in each of the territories would be likely to prove of value to all
of them. He therefore proposed to the Governors of the three
mainland
East
African territories, to the British Resident in Zanzibar,
and
to the Governors
of
Northern
Rhodesia
and
Nyasaland
that
aConference
of
representatives
of
the
Governments of these territories should be held in Africa to consider these
problems
and
to
draw
up a
report
for submission to Governments.
This
proposal was generally welcomed
and
the Governor of
Northern
Rhodesia
kindly agreed to provide facilities for the Conference to be held
at
Ndola.
2.
The
Conference accordingly took place
at
Ndola from
the
r
zth
to
the
26th
February,
1958.
In
addition
to the delegations appointed by each of
the
six
participating
Governments, arepresentative from Swaziland accepted
an
invitation to
attend
the Conference
and
the
Government of
Southern
Rhodesia
was good
enough
to send
three
observers so
that
the Conference could
have
the henefit
of
Southern
Rhodesian experience
without
involving
that
territory
in
anv
conclusion
drawn
from
the
Conference.
The
Federal
Government
of
ｒｨｯ､ｾｳｩ｡
and
Nyasaland, within whose responsibilities fall
the
health
aspects
of
urban
administration in
the
Rhodesias
and
Nyasaland, also sent
an
observer
to
the
Conference.
Mr.
Gorell Barnes
and
Mr.
Hudson
of
the Colonial Office
acted respectively as
Chairman
and
Vice-Chairman
of
the
Conference, which
Was
also
attended
by
Mr.
Fosbrooke, the Director of
the
Rhodes Livingstone
Institute,
and
Mr.
Simpson,
Land
Tenure
specialist
of
the Colonial Office.
'The
Northern
Rhodesia
Government
kindly
made
available
Mr.
Coleman,
District Officer,
and
Mr. McClellan, District Officer, to be Secretary
and
Assistant Secretary to
the
Conference, as well as Miss
Franklin
and
the
Legislative Council Recording
Unit
to assist
the
officers of the Conference. A
full list of those
attending
the
Conference is
attached
as
annexure
A to
the
report.
3. Before the Conference the Colonial Office circulated two working
papers
with a list
of
points for discussion which
had
been
prepared
by
the
African
Studies Branch.
The
latter
were used by the Conference as its
agenda
and
the
former as a basis for discussion.
The
two working papers
are
not reproduced in
OUr
report
hut
the
substance of them, in so far as we agree with it, has been
185
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