Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, JULY 16, 1928 THE DARK CONTINENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 16 July 1928, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, JULY 16, 1928 THE DARK CONTINENT

THE visit of the All "Blacks to the Victoria Fails of the Zambesi River is a reminder that these representatives of New Zealand have penetrated fourteen hundred miles towards the centre, of the Dark Continent. In using this latter term we wish to make an explanation. Africa certainly was the Dark Continent in the days of Dr Livingstone, in the days when H. M. Stanley wrote for £40,000 his book "Through Darkest Africa," after he had been to find Emiri Pasha, who did not want to Tie found ; it was certainly a Dark Continent which Aloysius Home described in his book, "The Ivory Coast in the 'Earlies." Africa certainly is the black man's Continent, and is likely 1o remain so, but. "dark" she. hardly remains since the white man has begun to take a practical interest, in the splendid chain of countries which link South Africa with the Valley of the Nile. Surely Africa ceases to be "dark" when an unattended lady can fly safely from Cape Town to Cairo, or from Cairo to Cape Town. An

American writer recently said of Africa, after he had penetrated far into the interior. "The Dark Continent? Not now —rather tho dark horse, the unappreciated contender for fust, place among the Continents." He goes on to say:

The startling facts about Africa are these: A population between 150

millions and 130 millions, of which the vast majority are negroes; Johannesburg alone produces half of the gold of the world ; copper produced in the depths of the Congo can be sold at a profit in New York cheaper than copper produced in Montana; Africa imports from America alone nearly 1000 million dollars worth of merchandise (annually) and exports even more. . . . The unusual in Africa takes many forms—the Pyramids, the Victoria Falls, twice as high as Niagara, and Iwico as beautiful; the enormous cop per deposits of the Katanga; the 19,000-foot, snow-covered Mountains of the Moon; the Sahara Desert; the Nile, tie longest river in the world; the Kimberley diamond deposits; the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amen; the one-and-

a-quarter-milo deep Johannesburg gold mines, and the unexplained Zimbabwa ruins, relics of a race of gold mining people who have vanished utterly. . . . In tho not very distant future Africa

will bloom forth to startle the world, not as tho Dark Continent, but rather as the source of supply, the cupboard of tho world, the. greatest single Con-

tinent on the face of the globe. That was written by an American for Americans. But it is a Continent which is largely British and to be developed by British people that' wo would consider Africa. There is no doubt that her future lies very largely in British hands, and that not only will British enterprise, energy and capital exercise a profound influence npon her future, but that Africa, developed, will exercise a profound influence on Britain, the British Empire, and tho whole world. Two factors are of great importance. Her population, which is principally negroid, numbers some 165 millions, and affords an almost inexhaustible supply of cheap manual labour for purposes of development, such as road-making, railway construction, and unskilled agricultural, pastoral, and mining work. There is no doubt that Africa will bo developed by negro labour directed by white men, if for no other reason than that, in most parts of it, its climate is such that only black men could do the work. Tho other crucial fact is Africa's geographical position between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, which give her cheap access by sea to the markets of America on the one hand and of Asia on tho other, while her northern coast confronts Europe, where her products will find a ready market. Take tho question of cotton. Uganda, Nyasaland, and Nigeria are already producing cotton; and in the Sudan the vast Senaar Dam has been built across the Blue Nile for the purpose of irrigating hundreds of thousands of acres suitable for growing cotton. The vast interior tablelands are reported to be suitable for this purpose; and when it is said that good African cotton-growing land is three times as productive as similar land of good quality in the United States, it will be seen that Africa is destined to be the great cotton-producer of the world. She has the soil, the climate, and the labour. There is no doubt, too, that the central uplands which lie at an altitude of from 3000 ft to 4GoOft, and stretch for thousands of square miles, are destined to produce great herds of cattfe. In minerals, it is seen what South Africa has produced in regard to gold and diamonds. There are those who say that the undeveloped and largely unexplored legions further north are richer in minerals than South Africa. The fabulously rich Kapanga copper mines are an indication of such mineral wealth.

Africa's development, will not tako place suddenly; it will ho gradual, probably very gradual, but it will be steady and productive of wonderful results. What the New Zealander and Australian will ask is, What effect will Africa's development have on these distant Dominions? So far as the production of wool and mutton is concerned probably these countries will not be seriously affected. Tho growth of Africa's cotton industry will do nothing but good to these Dominions. As regards mines, Africa may exercise a profound influence on the metal markets, in the years to coma. Those years are far-distant. There is nothing to retard the development of mineral wealth in Australasia except the supine attitude of the public and the lack of capital available. However, it is good advice to make hay while tho sun shines, and to develop New Zealand's and Australia's mineral resources before Africa gets busy.