TANGANYIKA

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25969, 24 November 1949, Page 2

TANGANYIKA

ADDRESS BY MR P. J. HUMPHRIES

Tanganyika, a country just south of the equator, the home of 6.000.000 African natives, many Indians and Arabs, and a few Europeans, was the subject of a talk given to members of the Young Contingent of the Victoria League yesterday by Mr P. J. Humphries. who has served on the administrative side of the Colonial Office in Tanganyika for the last three years. As far back as the eighth century. Mr Humphries said. Tanganyika was a flourishing Arab colony; it was later taken by the Portuguese, retaken bv the Arabs, and in the late nineteenth century became a German posse c s on. The Germans, he said, ruled with a heavy hand and after a rising in 1905-06. the Germans put 120.000 natives to death. The country was now a British Crown Colony under the Trus‘«eship Council of the United Nations.

For administrative purposes, said Mr Humphries, the country was divided into provinces and'the provinces into districts. In his district.- Mi Humphries explained, another officer and himself were responsible for 180.000 natives. They were pleasant, courteous people, who lived simple lives, farming on small selections. “They don’t trust b-'nks and post offices over there,” he said. “They count their wealth in cattle and they buy their wives with so many head of cattle.”

Mr Humphries said that one day he took his small daughter with him on his rounds. The natives were greatly pleased with the little girl and one of hem said to her father, admiringly: “She’ll be worth 30 head of cattle to you one day.” a At his home bn a plateau, 4000 feet above sea level. Mr Humphries said, the climate was equable with six months rain and six months without rain. There were 10 Europeans on his station. 75 miles from a large town and living conditions Were pleasant, with tennis and golf for recreation and plenty of household help. The prosperity of Tanganyika depended on sisal, diamonds, coffee and cotton, he said. Visit to Diamond Mine “We had,-the good fortune to spend a week-end at Dr. Williamson's famous diamond mine, whete visitors are not often admitted,” said Mr Humphries. The min-?, for which Dr. Williamson recently refused £5.000.000, was in a barren part of Tanganyika, and was not a mine in the ordinary sense of the term. It was only from eight to 10 feet deep, but from it came nearly 10 per cent, of the world’s supply of diamonds. Mr Humphries recalled that Dr. Williamson, a Canadian geologist, was exploring the country fc/ gold or diamonds. He had expended ell his resources, and had to borrow money to pay his men. In 1940, when he was about to abandon the scheme, he came upon the diamonds. It was said that from the ground removed to level an aerodrome for Dr. Williamson. £750.000 worth of diamonds were recovered, but Mr Humphries did not vouch for the accuracy of that state.ment. All the employees, Europeans and natives, lived inside 17 miles of barbed wire. Thev were wonderfully well treated bv Dr. Williamson, who provided for them good homes, refrigerators. radios, and fine club rooms. Mr Humphries attended a dance in the rooms, and for it the stinner, including all kind s ; of delicacies, was flown in from Nairobi in a private aeroplane. Dr. Williamson, he said, was a very nuiet man. about 45 years old. and he had lately been tn England for the first hnlidav he had had for many years. Tanganyika had benediamonds and the the mine had created, and Dr. Williamson had done wo”d°-'s for all whn worked for him. Mrs P. A. M. WiP’°ms thanked Mr Humphries for his address.