A LAND OF PROMISE

Otago Witness, Issue 3342, 3 April 1918, Page 24

A LAND OF PROMISE

GERMAN EAST AFRICA. WHAT IT WAS AND WHAT IT MAY BE (By Sir Harry Johnston, in the Daily News.) [The British War Office recently announced that German East Africa had been completely cleared of the enemv) and that the whole of the last of the German overseas possessions had passed into our hands and those of our Belgian Allies'.] A fictitious prosperity came to East Africa—the Zanzibar dominions—with the beginning of the nineteenth century through the development of the slave trade by the Arabs of Maskat, who then dominated the ooast between Somaliland and Mozambique. Slaves were required increasingly by the Southern States in North America and a greater demand still existed for thera in India, the Persian Gulf, Arabia, and Turkey. The slave trade caused much devastation of native populations in the interior, but it attracted missionaries to investigate and explore, traders to traffic in European goods, and, finally, the agents of the British Government to intervene and also to encourage legitimate commerce with British India. . The greatest of these was Sir John Jlirk, Livingstone's companion, first given a con6ular appointment at Zanzibar In 1866, and made a politioal agent in 1868. Sir. John Kirk realised the immense potentialities for honest commerce in East Africa, between the Red Sea on the north and the ' Portuguese dominions on , the raith. He succeeded in abolishing the official complicity of the Sultanate of Zanzibar with the slave, trade, and then induced the establishment of a British line of steamers plying up and down the coast. Further, he stimulated the managing director of the British Jndia Steam Navigation Company (the late Six William Mackinnon) to accept a great conoession from the Sultan of Zanzibar and construct a metalled road from Dar-es-Salaam to Tanganyika, so that wheeled traffic might replace the slaveporters for the transport of merchandise. Sir William Mackinnon sent out two not-easily-beaten young Edinburgh men—the brothers John and Frederick Moir —and the road was begun. But the concession--aire shrank from the coat of the enterprise and its uncertain results. A FUTURE/" GERMAN INDIA." Other enterprises farther south prompted by Sir John Kirk similarly proved futile—he was before his time—and the only direction in which he succeeded in establishing British interests was in the northern half of the Sultan's dominions —now known as British East Africa. Germany had long had her eye on "Zangian" Africa as a future German "India." Advantage was taken of the hesitation of British capitalists, and by 1885 Germany had staked out claims which, by agreement with Great Britain, soon grew into a "colony" covering ah area of 364,000 square miles, and extending from the Zanzibar coast to Tanganyika, Nyassa, and the Victoria Nyanza. The -natives did not want the Germans as overlords.; and for several years after the assumption of the. protectorate, Germany had to fight for her possession, first against the Arabs, and next, and more severely, against warlike native tribes. But after 10 years of trouble the country settled down to peace. It was fortunate in having several good Governors who regarded the natives sympathetically. - German rule, indeed, from the 'nineties of the last century down to the outbreak of war, was not unpopular in East Africa. The ieading native chiefs were treated as we treat Indian Raas, the Arabs were soon conciliated l , and eventually became strong allies of the German power; there is no evidence of any considerable alienation of native lands. European colonies —plantations—were established in the beautiful hill country of Usambara, in the mountains of Nsagara and Ukinga; steamers wero launched on all the three Treat lakes; and German science was turner! lost effectively on .to the investigation of the resources, of this huge territory in minerals, vegetable produce, and adapta bility for stock-rearing. COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. The British Indian merchants on the cost were won over to transfer~their allegi ance to Germany, and in return were helped to prosecute a very lucrative commerce. Altogether it seemed, prior to the outbreak of war in 1914, that Germany wap going to make her greatest success as a colonising power in East Africa. Not necessarily by creating a new "white" Ger-many-beyond'-the-Seas on the uplands of East Africa—black-water fever and other germ diseases not. as yet overcome byscience militated against success in that direction —but, jn the way that Britain has succeeded in India and Holland in Malaysia, by educating a large coloured population to develop a region rich in many valuable products. This development would eventually as much redound to Germany's commercial and industrial importance as the possession of India has done for us and Java for Holland. The trunk line to Tanganyika was finished, and would tap all .the wealth of the eastern basin of the Congo, aided by the navigation of that 400-miles-long inland sea. Moreover, Germanswho had invested much capital in EastAfrica looked forward to further developments of a pacific character. A portion, a considerable portion, of the Eastern Congoland might be purchased from Belgium, and Portugal might agree to sell or to lease limitrophe territories. THE NEW RULE. Tho ideal settlement would, of course, be that, theso conquered domains should be vested once more in their native population ; but since few if any of these African, Asiatic, or Oceanic territories are at present capable of governing themselves, they must bo entrusted to the management of the Allied Powers in a way that shall bear somo relation to the moneys expended, other sacrifices made, or losses incurred to tho wishes of the local inhabitants, and to, geographical contiguity. Under such ' conditions German East Africa is certain to come—l might almost sav to revert (with tho remembrance of Sir John Kirk's control)—to Great Britain, just as the bulk of the Cameroons and Togoland will doubtless go to France. There will be no doubt as to our being welcome to tho bulk of the people as their new rulers; save in the case of a few Arab slaveowners. But when we to replace Germany in South Africa it must not be with ' any idea of "carving out farms " for eager pioneers, or otherwise dis-

posing of native property in land. We must give to this vast country of intelligent Bantu negroes more or less tinged with Mohammedanism (and often with an aristocracy of Arab or Gala strain) much the same type of administration as we have set lip in Nigeria, Uganda, or Nyassaland. There will, of course, remain open, as in British East Africa and Nigeria, immense opportunities for the profitable investment of capital, and great additions to our Imperial resources, in the way of minerals, cotton, rubber, oil, cattle, hides, fibre, and vegetablo foodstuffs.