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Financial Aid

Volume 478: debated on Wednesday 25 October 1950

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18.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the decision of the British Honduras Government to spend £12,000 on clearing land for sugar growing in the north, what steps are being taken to secure additional finance to meet the expenditure estimated by the Evans Commission to be £1,500,000.

The sum of £12,000, to which my hon. Friend refers, is being spent on the preliminary work of variety trials and seed multiplication. The arrangements for carrying out the major project are under consideration.

Does not my right hon. Friend realise that he has not answered the latter part of the Question, except rather ambiguously? Could he give any idea as to how this large sum of money is to be secured for this purpose, seeing that it is agreed that this money is approximately what is required for that development?

All I can say at the moment is that the sum of £12,000, to which I have referred, is to be spent on preliminary work. When that work has been completed and plans are considered the question of how they are to be financed will have to be considered at the same time.