Sierra Leone

Press, Volume C, Issue 29498, 27 April 1961, Page 14

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, the tenth former British dependency to achieve independence since 1947, will begin a week of enthusiastic independence celebrations today, only three years after the establishment of a full Ministerial system of government It is gratifying that Britain should now be granting independence to a country from which Sir John Hawkins, 400 years ago, began to capture slaves; but the fund of goodwill for Britain is not surprising. In the eighteenth century British

philanthropists established the fine port of Freetown as a home for freed destitute slaves; and the use of Sierra Leone later as a base from which the slave trade was suppressed, as well as the economic and constitutional advances that have taken place this century, have enabled the indefatigable Prime Minister. Sir Milton Margai, to lead the country to independence without any strain in relations with London. Indeed, he has expressed the desire that co-operation and friendship should continue Sierra Leone will become a member of the Commonwealth. There is to be a defence agreement with Britain; and Sir Milton Margai has given an assurance that there will be no nationalisation of British mining concerns. But there is one cloud over the celebrations.

symbolised by the detention, under emergency regulations, of 29 members of the Opposition AD People’s Congress Party. In spite of its diamonds and iron. Sierra Leone's real wealth is in agriculture; but recent rapid industrial development, which caused a move from the land to the towns, has brought with it new problems, among them the place of trade unionism and the discarding of old tribal loyalties. The Opposition, looking to neighbouring Guinea, whose bustling President Toure is being heavily assisted by the Communist bloc, and to successful Liberia, has been demanding an ambitious economic development programme, including social security, better housing and

education, and a national minimum wage. Britain has assisted in laying the foundations of development with loans and grants of £15.5 million since 1946, and about £7.5 million is promised in the initial years of independence. But there are doubts whether the present economy can advance Sierra Leone’s 2.5 million people at a rate comparable with West African advance generally, especially since it is expected that her mineral resources will be exhausted within a generation unless fresh discoveries are made. “ There is an underlying “ suspicion ”, says David

Mitchell in a dispatch to the London “ Daily Telegraph ”, “ that Sierra Leone is far “ from ready to paddle her “ own canoe, and a resent- “ ment against Britain for “leaving her to her own " devices ”.