WEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14043, 28 April 1920, Page 2

WEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE.

T.—THET GOLD COAST CAPITAL. , (By Marjorie and Alan Lethbridge.) From the drowsy backwater of Liberia to Tip-to-date hustling Accra- is, indeed, a-, transformation. In. Monrovia , time is forgotten, aid, Rip van kle like, it would be easy-to sleep the years away ana"be -oblmops .of . the world's progress.. In . Accra' tho hour, has sixty minutes, and .woe betide the man. be he official or trader, who forgets' that fact. This city, for it is a city, is unlovely; truth compels one to say : as much. " Vegetation is, scarce. There is a certain sameness about the, streets, with, tlieir uniform bungalowbuilt houses, . bordering monotonously excellent roads, which radiate in all directions for many miles.. That, surely, is the keynote of Accra —the recognition, in practice of the well-being. ot both white and native population. Here the fact has been grasped that it is false economy to house Europeans in any ■sort- of hove], as'was too often the case, in the old days, and expect the out of them. These commonplace; bungalows are comfortable.and*roomy, with' wide verandahs, hygienic lavatory accommodation and bath-rooms, and equipped with all the conveniences which go to make foij health in a. climate which is far from perfect. In elfect, Accra, is utilitarian, and so far has not striven after the beautiful or indulged in tflie gentle extravagance of the pursuit of the picturesque. Ite atmosphere; is that of a voting American, town. No one, apparently, has time to walk. The aforementioned excellent reads teem with motor-care —nearly all of American make —and motorcycles. Occasionally one encounters a rickshaw, and it is then safe to hazard that the occupant, is a retired native merchant who has madei his, pile out of cocoa and now finds that lie can dawdle, as much as he will and eniovs «o doing:- In 1913/ the population was approximately 30,000. • To-day: it is probably not far. short of double that hgure, and there is no sign of an> limit having. been reached. Accommodation is a.t a piemium aifd as difficult to obtain as ; a room was in London during the period when, the Government /occupied , practically every hotel. It- is an anachronism that of all places along the West Coast the landing at Accra should .be the worst, with the exceptioirof that at unimportant town lets like Add ah and Saltpond. But here; with steamers for ' ever loading and discharging cargoes, passengers, and mails, everything in the way of communication 'with the shore has to be done bv surf boat-, and, be ; it/added, the landing- at the best ; ot times is extremely ■unpleasant. During the rainy season it is frequently impossible, causing congestion of shipping and a good deal of criticism of an adverse •nature upon the enterprise of the responsible Colonial authorities. This, though natural, is not entirely justified, a.nd it is even beyond ibo ; task of a master mind to dam the Atlantic, though the effort was maide by the construction of a "breakwater at enormous cost. This promised some sort Ot protection for landing boats, but the sea was not- to be ba,ulked, and the #embryonic harbor has silted up till it is now useless. A Naval Commission, however, is now out in-this country examining the coast carefully with a view to finding a location where a reailv practicable port can be constructed which will be an inestimable boor to the colony and will hurry on witl over-increasing speed the. almost abnormal growth of prosperity and development which it is already enjoyPerliaps the adjective abnormal does not accurately represent the remarkable change which has taken place during the last four or five \ eal /. is not simple of explanation, but it is the fact that the native • has at ,lasi realised that agriculture can prove * direct pathway towards .considerable affluence. The natural resources ol the country are infinite. During tin war, vast fortunes have been mad< from cocoa.. There appears to be. Nt reason whv this trade should not be ■ come a regular staple industry for th< whole of the eastern portion of tin : colony, which is rapidly being openec ; up by means of motor roads. P^t' 1 ■ oil and palm kernels are other' steaduj ' increasing exports, and there seem I every reason why in the northern ter ritories. ground nuts should prove ai ■ extremely profitable investment. Bu i' ; cif-'.tliis more'-anon. ■ At present com paratively little is known, about t-li - possibilities of the remoter., parts of th ' colony, which we are visiting shortl; f in company with the Governor, who i 5 making a'special tour' of inspection 3 The digression as to trade general! - was merely .made to afford those wh t have never visited the coast some sligh s idea of how Accra has become such busy centre.

. The one really picturesque spot m this severely "hygienic town—and. in West Africa tlie picturesque and hygienic are sworn foes —is Government House. It is the old Dutch castle* of Cliristianborg, a white, irregular pile of masonry, turreted and battlementcd, for all the world like one of Arthur Rackham's illustrations. In its inner courtyard are the guard, bare-legged soldiers of the AVest African Frontier Force, with red fezzes and red and gold zouave jackets, which repeat the colors of the alamarde find flamboyant flowers climbing above their heads. The living quarters are spacious and lofty, overlooking the ever-restless sea, the monotonous roar of whose surf is for ever in one's ears. AVitli.the exception of'punkahs and mosquito nets, life is lived as though this stage, castle were on the Devon coast. One dines in the, conventional, dinner jacket at the conventional hour, in a most beautiful though modern dining-room, where onlv the breeze of the . punkali and the soft voice of the black butler saying', "White or red wine, please?" makes one realise that it is Africa and not Europe. CONVENTIONS AND SPORT. '

. To -those who may possibly exclaim "How frightfully uncomfortable it is to wear black clothes and a 'boiled' shirt" there is a, very good reply. White mess kit is; father ail expensive luxury, particularly .for. those who come'out here to replenish their ex. chequer rather than further to deplete it,, and' it is most essential that- one makes '[some Sort of change .in one's clothes for dinner, otherwise the 'dryrot of 'slackness sets in. The note struck at Gbvernmfcrit House is imitated, ..consciously . or unconsciously, throughout the town, and from there throughout the colony. Therefore, let the Harmattan blow furnace-like from the Saharaj# or let the, air reek with moisture, but do not discard, the dinner jacket or the t-ail coat-{-."Another antidote to slackness is sport,- and. of this Accra, has its full, share. There are two golf links, innumerable tennis courts, a racecourse, polo ground, and cricket club. . The Governor is himself a well-known; cricketer arid an allr'ound. athlete, and' his enthusiasm is infectious. • . •

In some respects the Governor of a colony can be said resemble, should lie so desire, the father of a large family. Actually this is as it should be in British Possesions of moderate' size, for in these days of democracy it is futile as well as''injudicious' to insist too much upon the prerogatives of position. A touch of human nature now and again works wonders in all departments of life, and the Governor who can'.find the time and show the inclination to enter into the relaxations and. ■ recreations: of all classes of; the community to the exclusion of n'ono is indeed a, very valuable asset. Accra, is a liajjpy. little family—in truth, the happiest: we have ever found anywhere in our travels—and long may it so continue. Everyone is genial, hospitable, and ready to help, even at personal inconvenience. And this tone is directly attributable to Government House. The manager of one of the banks emphasised the point for us. "Yes, we are lucky,'? he remarked.' - "I know a, place in tho bush where there .are onlv three white women and there are, if you will believe me; three separate, and distinct cliques. Here there is no such thing. The older members of the. European colony have thein nicknames of affection, pure and simple. "We have 'Aunt Betty,' who'looks after the newcomers, and 'Mother,' who really is a sort of mother to rfill the naughtly boys, «nd so on. It really is wonderful and so restful." :

Now this sort of atmosphere is not only healthy temperamentally, but also physically: Worry kills more peoolo in a: climate such as this than fever directly ; derived from : the unwelcome "Anopheles" : mosquito.* "Weariness of. mind quickly begets weariness of body, appe-

tite goes, insomnia sets in, and there ) another patient for the Government doctor, «md, as likely as not, anothe passage to "be booked home. T'his shonk be grasped'by all those who may. make up their minds, to come and risk , the present with v a view to the. future. Foi there is so much tobe done- here by th< man of enterprise, especially if backed by the minimum of capital. : This country as a whok? is not.a residential one is amply long enough at a time but following certain "regular principle! there is no reason why health shoulc necessarily, suffer. After.- avoiding worry and> taking- a; sufficiency of exercise "comes . the question of food. ■ We have visited many bungalows both oi officials and ■ traders, and we were struck by the excellence of the dinners we enjoyed. There could be no doubt about it', these people wore" doing themselves uncommonly Tell, and one . and all -told the same tale. ' The days of. incessant tinned food, served uppn dirty tables and minus the accompaniments which are common, to all at home, are gone for: ever, and there can be no doubt that that lack of comfort was responsible for many a physical breakdown blamed ilpon the climate. As for the upner class natives, the plutocrats of the Gold Coast, wht make of Accra, the Mecca of their endeavor, they are enormously instructive to those who have the eyes with which to see. An example. A large case fell overboard from the slings o the ship in which we arrived here, as cargo was being loaded into the surt boats. The .chief mate looked quizzically a.t the package and then remarked-: "That's done if% Nc silk- stockings for the ladies-.*'' We ask eel.to see the manifest out. of curiosity, 'and there it was, "One ease silk hos iery, Accra. New JSfoi'k Pure Sills Hosiery "Company." Further- inquiry and we were told that., the native ladies of the Gold CoJist ,are very partial to such luxuries, and that price is no deterrent to their desires in that- direction. On the other hand, t-heyjlo not appear to indulge to any great degree in jewellery in spite of "the fact- that the Gold Coast goldsmith is a craftsman of the finest order, excelling in the most delicate and intricate branches of his calling. Clothes -possess the fascination, and it is illuminating to wander along the streets wherein are situated Accra's most up-to-date stores, and study the latest creations-.for afternoon or evening wear, And what'applies to the wealthy native in a lesser degree may be -Said to apply to the bona-fide citizen of the country, untouched by European'custom, and who adheres to time-long tradition as regards clothing. The women wear the most gorgeous raiment, which would have made (Solomon envious: silks embroidered in gold and silver thread, borne with all the grace of_a Roman toga, surmounted: by elaborate turbans of all the colors of the rainbow.- Whatever the buildings of Accra lack in distinction is more, than made up by the eddying crowd .of native 'women intent upon their shopping, and proving themselves at the same time, no bad husinesf hands at a .bargain. Prices rule higl; here, and what with the incessant demands for nil classes of the working community for greater wages, _. presumably they will soar yet higher. Cocoa is in the main responsible. When the export of this commodity reaehc* such a figure as four, million sterling when it is remembered that praeticalh it is a weed here, and when it is further recalled that the export has nowhere near reached the limit of-possi-bility, it can be understood what- ; magnet it represents to labor. The work is arduous as regards collection and it is unsuitable to Europeans. Bul the. profits are. so immense that the plantations can afford to pay the high est wages, and are prepared ever to gc up in an increasing ratio commensurate with the difficulty of obtaining the ne e-essary 'bands. . ■ Smn.il wonder, then, that there - has been" a veritable exoelus of what one ma; ■all the 'coolie class, that longshoremen 'or shifting cargo are as scarce as th< ;reat auk's egg, that servants are sini)ly non-existent unless they have beer rrought from afar, and that even the chauffeurs of well-to-do people are lesert-ing their situations to drive th< neyitable Ford motor lorry with the ■cjually inevitable load of cocoa. Durng the coming week we shall traverse small section of this new Eldoraelc >rior to striking the Volta. River, r.hence is <>xporteel tons; and ; tons .. ol )nlm oil/ the basis of inosf. soaps',' a.nitb'er industry capable of exploitation i-nd promising great returns. One uspects that all this development is leing watched with jealous eyes by hose who were first upon the scene, ,nd in fact hearsay, is quite prepared to iver that the newcomer stands the 'hance of either accepting the offer of :he big man and being bought out or )eing.crushed'' under the heel of a eomaine. flow much truth there may be n this asservation it is hard to say, mt, -if in the least correct, measures :hoiild be adopteel to abolish once, and or all a system which must prove in he long run absolutely disastrous to he best interests of the colony.