Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1952]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/134 (page 1)
    Review of 1952 The proposals for the federation of the three Central African territories (Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia and Nyasaland) continued during 1952 to be the most important political question in the Territory. At the Victoria Falls Conference, held in September, 1951, it had been agreed that further exchange of views between the four Governments would be necessary and in January, 1952, as part of these consultations, informal talks were held in London which were attended by representatives of all the Governments, the Northern Rhodesia Government being represented by the Governor. After these talks it was announced that the Conference would be re-convened in April, in London, to formulate a draft scheme of federation. On the 4th March, it was announced in the House of Commons that the scheme prepared at the conference would be published and that Her Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom proposed to convene a further conference later in 1952 to consider the detailed scheme before the question of ratification or abandonment was finally put to the Governments. THE APRIL, 1952, LONDON CONFERENCE ON FEDERATION The first of these conferences was held at Lancaster House, London, from 23rd April to 5th May. The delegates from Northern Rhodesia, led by the Governor, Sir Gilbert Rennie, were three of the official members and all the four unofficial members of the Executive Council, including a nominated European representative of African interests. The two African members of the Legislative Council, who had attended the Victoria Falls Conference, were invited to go to London for informal discussions with the Secretary of State for the Colonies and to take part in the conference. They accepted the invitation to the informal discussions, which were held before the conference opened, but they declined to take part in the conference. They also declined an invitation to attend as observers. After the conference they again met the Secretary of State for the Colonies, who explained the findings of the conference to them. 1