asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken to employ the several hundred unemployed men in Mauritius who have lost their jobs owing to the cuts in the roads estimates.

I am informed that 500 men were discharged in August, 1948, in consequence of a reduction in the financial provision. All those who applied were offered, and some of them accepted, alternative employment on Government works or on private estates. A number, however, refused to accept anything but Government employment, despite the fact that other employment was available.