way and even refused an offer by Banda to pay for a permanent organizer for the Congress. Possible Matinga saw Banda as a potential rival. In the 1930s the concept of a Federation of the colonies of Southern Rhodesia, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland had been proposed, and the idea gained increased support in the 1940s among the colonial administrators. This was seen as a betrayal by NAC leaders such as Matinga and James Frederick Sangala, who thought the Colonial Office was discarding the principle that African interests were paramount, instead favoring White colonists. After federation was discussed in more detail at the second Victoria Falls conference in 1949, Matinga wrote Banda in London asking for support in fighting federalism. The NAC decided to send a delegation to London to meet the Colonial Secretary and discuss provisions for educating Africans in Nyasaland, and by May 1947 had raised enough funds to send two members, Matinga and the Vice-President Charles Chinula. In London they would be joined by Hastings Banda. In November 1947 they were told that the Secretary of State would receive them. Matinga left for Cape Town to take the ship to the United Kingdom, but took the Secretary General of Congress, Andrew Mponda, rather than Chinula. The party met with Arthur Creech Jones, now the Labour Party's Secretary of State, and gained agreement on the importance of secondary education. This led to establishment of a new secondary school at Dedza in 1951. It was also agreed to establish a teachers training college as Domasi. Matinga's action in taking his protégé Mponda with him rather than Chinula caused widespread anger among the NAC members, compounded by accusations that Matinga had misused NAC funds on the trip, and by Matinga's failure to attend NAC meetings and report on the trip after he had returned. Sangala managed to prevent police action regarding the funds. But Matinga did not report to Congress until the spring of 1949, and then gave only a verbal summary. When the delegates asked for a full written report, Matinga walked out. The NAC was no longer an effective organization. Under pressure from Congress delegates, Sangala (who had been one of the original prime movers in organizing the NAC), called a conference on 1 January 1950. Matinga surprised everyone by attending and chairing the first session of the meeting. However, the meeting resolved to dismiss him for abuse of