Nyasaland Bill was passed in July 1953; the Federation constitution came into force on 23 October of that year.
The annual report of Anglo American Corporation for the year ended 31 December 1950 contained the following statement:
At
extraordinary general meetings of the Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines
Limited, Rhodesian Anglo American Limited, Rhodesia Copper Refineries
Limited, Rhokana Corporation Limited, and the Rhodesia Broken Hill
Development Company Limited, which were held in London during December
1950, it was decided to transfer the seat of control of these companies
from the United Kingdom to Northern Rhodesia.
The
transfer was effected with the two main objects of obtaining increased
administrative efficiency and of reducing the United Kingdom tax
liabilities of the companies concerned. In this context it should be
realized that an important part of the capital of these companies is
held outside the United Kingdom while the mines themselves operate in
Northern Rhodesia.
This
important step was followed by legislation: the Imperial Parliament in
1953 passed the Rhoanglo Group Act (it received the Royal Assent on 6
May 1953). The Rhodesian Anglo American report for the year ending 30
June 1954 referred to the fact that 'by carrying out the formalities
prescribed by the Rhoanglo Group Act—an Act of the United Kingdom
Parhament sponsored by the company—the company and its associates
became incorporated in Northern Rhodesia on 11 May 1954 and ceased to
be incorporated in the United Kingdom'.
The
logical consequences were drawn a little later on: the Anglo American
Corporation built up its organization in Salisbury, the capital city of
the new Federation. The wider considerations governing this step were
fully explained by Ernest Oppenheimer in the statement to the
shareholders for the year 1956:
.
. . Here was a fine new country awaiting development through enterprise
and offering potentially rich rewards to those willing to apply energy
and technical and financial knowledge to the exploitation of the
territory's known or as yet undiscovered mineral and other resources.
To the considerations that were prompting us towards some measure of
administrative decentralization from Johannesburg were now added the
compelling thoughts that we should not be content with exploring the
mineral and other business possibilities of the Federation at second
hand or by remote control, that we should establish a strong team of
fully qualified administrative and technical staff in Salisbury, the
Federal capital. The decision was accordingly taken, and at the end of
the year some forty-five members of our Johannesburg staff moved to
Salisbury where an office with a resident director was already
established. . . .
