TIMELY TOPICS

Northern Advocate, 29 October 1932, Page 8

TIMELY TOPICS

LANGUAGES IN AFRICA

Will English ever become the lingua franca of East Africa? That is the most piquant if not the most important. question discussed by the Governors of the three East African dependencies 'in their comments (now published ns a White Paper) on the report of the Joint Select Committee on Closer Union. And at least one Governor answers “No.” The Joint .Select Committee took the view that a union of the three territories, in the sense of a -political amalgamation, is impracticable, but that there is much to bo done in the development of common services and —an essential in co-operation—of a common “official” language. And it held that eventually the official language should be English. The Colonial Secretary confirms this attitude. “Looking at Mie matter from the interests of East Africa as a whole,” he says, “it is difficult to dispute the desirability of encouraging a gradual change from Tviswahili to English.” The Governors >f Kenya and of Tanganyika are in substantial agreement with him, I hough both seem to stress the “gradual” more than the “change.” * * * * SELF-CONTAINED COUNTRY. Discussing a “self-contained country,” as .debated in Parliament, the “Otago Daily Times” says: Of our wool we consume 3 per cent, and export 97 per cent.; of our butter wo consume 23 per cent, and export 77 per cent.; of our cheese, we consume 6 per cent, and export 94 per cent.; of our mutton, we consume 49 per cent, and export 51 per cent.; of our lamb, 7 per cent, is consumed in the Dominion and 93 per cent, is exported, and of our other meats, we consume 77 per cent, and export 23 per cent. It would be erroneous to infer from tliis that we should not establish secondary industries which can be maintained on an economic basis, for it is certainly in the interest of a country that it should have diversified industries, but the logic of the trade figures is irresistible. Necessarily, any country which is largely dependent on an export trade for its national income must have a considerable import trade. International trade consists mainly of the exclidngo. of goods, the surplus goods of one country being exchanged for the surplus goods of another. In ordinary circumstances, the exchange is mutually advantageous. It has been said truly that no civilised country in the world produces, or can produce, all that is necessary, convenient, useful, or ornamental. It may even be said that the extent of a country’s overseas trade is one measure of the degree of its civilisation.