Annual report on Sierra Leone / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Sierra Leone / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/74 page 10
    Comparative figures for the 1931 census and the 1947-48 enumer¬ ation, are given below : Colony and Colony Protectorate Protectorate 1931 1947-8 1931 1947-8 1931 1947-8 Europeans & Americans 420 608 231 356 651 964 Asiatics 444 873 772 1,201 1,216 2,074 African non-natives 33,775 28,050 3,265 2,078 37,040 30,128 African natives 61,783 95,126 1,667,790 1,729,983 1,729,573 1,825,109 Totals 96,422 124,657 1,672,058 1,733,618 1,768,480 1,858,275 Chapter 2 : Occupations, Wages and Labour Organisation The majority of the working population are engaged in agriculture on their own account. The main groups of industrial workers are engaged in mining, seafaring, on the waterfront, in road and rail transport and as artisans, labourers, commercial and clerical workers. There are about 7,400 mining workers, and most of these are employed by three large companies, Sierra Leone Development, Company Limited, Sierra Leone Selection Trust Limited, and the Sierra Leone Chrome Mines Limited who are engaged in mining iron ore, diamonds, and chromite respectively. Other smaller employers are engaged in gold and platinum mining. Waterfront and maritime workers are now registered in two separate pools under the control of the Port Labour Board, a body set up on the recommendation of the Maritime and Waterfront Workers Wages Board. The number of workers registered in the newly formec Waterfront or Harbour Pool is 750 and there are 4,500 registered in the Maritime Pool which has functioned since the beginning of 1948j The Employment Exchange is responsible for the placing arrange¬ ments for both Pools and during 1951 an average of 1,311 maritime workers were placed each month. Approximately half the tota' labour force is at sea at any one time. As part of its general contro the Port Labour Board determines the size of the Pools and on behah of the employers considers reports of indiscipline, broaching and pilfer¬ ing of cargo, etc., and decides whether the workers involved should be warned, suspended or in serious cases have their names struck off the register. In road haulage and passenger traffic and rail transport it is estimatec that not less than 4,600 workers are employed. Of this number aboul 1,500 are employed in road transport and 3,100 are railway workers.
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