GERMANS IN AFRICA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19550, 1 February 1927, Page 9

GERMANS IN AFRICA.

PURCHASES OF LANDy HOPES IN TANGANYIKA. A GERMAN SETTLER'S VIEWS. [FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT. 0 PRETORIA, Deo. 4. "Daring the last two months Germans by the score have been buying .up land at enormous prices in what was German East Africa, and is now, the British Mandate of Tanganyika.. German officers are there paying the Askaris for their work during the war. German businesses are being established everywhere. Ihe Germans profess absolute confidence that before very iong they will have ianganyika returned to them." bo said Mr. Alexander Boshoff, a settler of Aeroesja, iu a recent interview. Mr. Boshoff is one of those who emigrated to East Africa shortly after the Boer War, drawn there by vivid German promises, and in the hope of buildup up fortunes ruined by the Boer War. There were some 50 families and most of them did well. In fact, Mr. Boshoff says the conditions for farmers then were infinitely better than they are to-day. When the Great War broke out, however, the troubles of ths Dutch settlers began anew. Many were moved into Ufionie, which is right in the tsetse fly belt and rum was once more the portion of the adventurers. A portion joined up with the Germans and tnose who did not had a hard time. Various efforts were made to get Mr, Boshoff to join the Germans in view of his Boer War record, with Delarey (jnd with Smuts. " Excessive Bisd Taps." —When the Union troops appeared at Arusha, near which Mr. Boshoff's farm was, he was offered a captaincy, but was too ill to accept it. Mr. Boshoff says that but for the efforts of General Smuts, to whom he appealed, there was a stage after the war when the Dutch •were threatened with deportation to Germany. They are, however, a.ll back again doing what they can in difficult circumstances. He complains of the administration and excessive red tape which now exists. The great grievance is that the original farms are two !small and while there is plenty of land it is not opened up for development. Sir Donald Cameron, the new Governor, is entirely sympathetic, and the settlers hope much from him. Survey costs are stated to be excessive and when land is put up for auction the poor man does not got a look in. The speculator scores. Mr. Boshoff complains bitterly of the favoured treatment to natives, which, he says, is detrimental to the whites and the natives themselves. The British settlers, he says, aro equally dissatisfied on this score. Dearth of Native Labour. There is a dearth of native labour. Much of the best land is reserved for natives, even in areas where there aro scarcely any natives. In spite of alt the drawbacks,"however, many of the settlors are doing well in coffeo, cotton, etc. With regard to inaizo and wheat the farmers are hampered in the lack of transport. Although Mr. Boshoff has had many bitter experiences, especially during the war, ho is full of enthusiasm for much of Tanganyika, which he describes as tlio best pari of Africa. The crying need ho emphasises is for tho country to bo opened up and railway construction. "You really think that tho Germans are sincere in their belief that they will recover this colony," ho was asked. "Not the least doubt about that," said Mr. Boshoff, emphatically.. "Every German is thoroughly convinced that tho German flag will soon fly over them."

CUSTOMS REVENUE. FIGURES FOR JANUARY. DECREASE ON LAST YEAR. There was a decrease ot £31,416 in the customs revenue collected at the port of Auckland last month, compared with January, 1926, the figures being £178,573 and £209,989 respectively. The past month" has not been a quiet one for the port,, 17 overseas cargo steamers having arrived, compared with 13 in January, 1926. However, the revenue is not complete for the month, as the steamer Pakeha, from Liverpool, with 3000 tons of cargo, is still discharging. Beer duty amounted to £9096, compared ivith £14,741 for the previous January, a decrease of £5645. AMERICAN TRADE METHODS ECONOMIC PENETRATION. STEEL MAGNATE'S OPINIONS, [FROM OCR, OWN' CORRESPONDENT. ] SYDNEY, Jan. 20. Keen observations concerning the extent of tho American influence on Canada were made here by Sir Hugh Poynter, a cousin of tho British Prime Minister and Mr. liudyard Kipling, who has come to Sydney to represent the Australian interests of Baldwins, Ltd., the great English steel firm. Sir Hugh Poynter has represented the company in Canada for the past five years. Sir Hugh declared that tho economic penetration of Canada by the United States was serious from the British point' of view. American money and influence could be felt everywhere, and at times it reacted with alarming financial results to Birtish manufacturers and workers generally. In one specific instance, ho said, Americans had obtained control of a large canning concern in British Columbia. Up to that time a Welsh tinplate company had reapplied all the tin to the canning firm, but after the advent of the Americans, the British firm received no orders. Instead, the tin was supplied from an American source. Many more instances could be cited. The Americans had obtained a great hold on Canada economically, and many Americans held important executive positions xu big concerns which meant much to Canada- as a nation. It had been said, continued Sir Hugh Poynter, that Canada obtained a vast number of British migrants, and that the country was developing rapidly. It was true that tremendous numbers of British workers were migrating to Canada, bat a great proportion of them were crossing the border and becoming Americans. The British and Canadian Governments helped these people to cross the Atlantic to a r,ew land, and in many instances the United States benefited by their labours and expense.- Canada was cot developing as rapidlv as she should, and the position was causing the Government gr**t concern. Canada was standardised on American How. and the Canadian Government borrowed large sorns of American money. IMPORTANCE OF FUR TRADE. ENTERPRISE IN TASMANIA. Mr. F. R. Groin, one of the directors of Tasm&msin Far Traders;, Ltd., of Ho hart, who has been abroad in regard to the establishment of » £IOO,OOO far enterprise, has recently returned. He s&ict that it *«5 the ambition of the company to make Tasmania as. important in the soothem hemisphere as a far prefacing country as' Canada wm jjj the iscethern hemisphere. The company hid Onverntnent epbttstioos over 30,000 teres. He had pot* chased on the Continent SO machines, w?nch were otshtg to Australia., and so expert io super vims the ttwehiiwfjr was also arriving shortly. The factory's ©atpot would w* shoot ski&s j'ifrfjf-