Annual report on Nyasaland / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1950]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    10/110 (page 8)
    existing aerodromes and landing grounds in the Protectorate were examined and site surveys were carried out at Lilongwe, Chinteche and Monkey Bay. The new Salima landing ground was brought into commission on 1st May. Road construction has made disappointing progress during the year. Although a large part of the work on the Blantyre streets had been completed, only ten miles of the Limbe-Mlanje road had been tar- macadamised, and preliminary works carried out on the Blantyre- Chileka road. Progress should be speeded up by new plant and the contract for these roads, together with that of the Limbe-Zomba road, is scheduled for completion by the end of 1952. So that the Public Works Department could concentrate on main road maintenance it was decided that the maintenance of some 2,000 miles of secondary and district roads would in future be the responsibility of the District Administration, assisted by other Departments, with the Public Works Department continuing to supervise the construction of bridges and culverts on these roads. A great deal of attention has been devoted to improving all services provided by the Postal Department and a large programme of postal and telecommunications development has been embarked upon which should result in the territory's inadequate system being brought up to date with the latest equipment. A radio-telephone link with Southern Rhodesia was opened in November and it will not be long before it will be possible for telephone subscribers in this territory to speak to South Africa and to the United Kingdom. The increasing business being done at post offices in the Protectorate is reflected in the fact that cash transactions in these offices has now reached one million pounds. The electricity supply of the Blantyre and Limbe townships was taken over by Government in April and a new Electrical Services Department was set up to be responsible for all public electricity supplies in the Protectorate. Owing to the growth of population and to general development, the electricity supply, particularly of the Blantyre, Limbe and Zomba areas, is inadequate and a new steam power station is being built to serve the Limbe/Blantyre area and a new hydro-electric extension is being made to the Zomba supply. For many years the possibility of controlling and utilising the waters of Lake Nyasa has been discussed ; during the past two years the problems of lake stabilisation, hydro-electric power development, control of the Lower Shire and power irrigation have been studied with the result that these projects appear to be practicable. It has therefore been decided to carry out a full-scale investigation and to this end a firm of consulting engineers, Sir William Halcrow and Partners, has been engaged. The survey will be a major operation and will probably take two years to complete and may cost up to £300,000. When the survey has been completed a definite plan with estimates of cost will be available. It will, of course, be necessary to consult other territories which may be concerned in this matter. During the year investigations into the coal deposits at Livingstonia continued. The exploratory stage of these investigations is now