LIBERIA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7232, 19 October 1901, Page 1

LIBERIA.

The Blaelz Man's Oouatry. ' The blade's own country — where is it? At tho pressnt tisne (ivritei- Hobei-b MacJiray, in "Black and Whitef) it would ' be easier, perhaps, to say where* it is nor. The questions" which revolve round the position cf the 'Negro and Negro slavery, have, receded into a somewhat hazy .background ; yet only a generation or two ago they divided States, brought about one of the greatest wars in history, and were subjects of universal interest and/ discussion. But even years before the war between the North and South in America there had beeui initiated a movement by some philanthropic people who sought to find a solution of the negro problem in the creation of of an .ordered... community of. blacks in, Africa itself. Hence the Republic of Liberia came into existence and was recognised by Europe as ' AN INDEPENDENT STATE. Liberia lies in that portion of Africa which was the first cradle of "the Negro race, and though the Republic has uot realised all the fond 1 hopes aoid prophecies of those who founded it, still its- progress, if slow, has been genuine. It has a population of 40,000 " Liberians " (repa>tria;u>d AmericaiQ slaves or their descendants), and an indigenous population of about a million. It has a very considerable territory, *and its coast-line is come 350 miles in length. Its north-west frontier is Ulie River Manok (or Manna), oji tike other side of 'whie'h : is our own culbny of Sierra • Leo-ne'; and it is in. connection chiefly with this riverine . boundaoy that a * delega.ticnfrom tlie Republic has recently been imterviiewing Mr Chatabsrlain a.t tl-9 Colonial Office. • ' libehia's statesmen ix London* The delegation is composed of three high officials of Liberia, the Chief Justice of the Republic, the Hon M. Robert®, who went to Monrovia from ' Georgia in 1849 (Georgia was at that time ai slave State), when fifteen years of age. He entered a law office, became an advocate, then a member of the House of Representatives, and now is the head of the judiciary of his adopted country. The Hou Alfred B. King is President of the- : Senate of Liberia, a. .position to which, he has been elected for the iliirdi time. Like the Chief Justice, he was born in. America, and emigrated to Liberia when, a young lad. In time he became a teacher and professor in the College of Liberia-. The third, the Hpn Arthur Barclay, is Secretary ior State. Us was formerly Secretary of the Treasury of the Republic. . It will be observed from* such phrases as Senate, House of Representatives, Secretary of the Treasury, that the political terminology of Liberia closely resembles that of the United States. This is natural enough, for the Negro Republic was founded by the American Colonisation Society, but in days when our cousins across the seas had no "Imperial" ambitions — indeed, would have scornfully denied that such ambitions were possible to them. However, Liberia has now very little to do with America-, and the number of emigrants it receives 1 from across the Atlantic is inconsiderable. At present its interests are closely bound up with Great Britain. Mr King, on being interviewed, made this fact very clear. Ths principal dbjeut the delegation has in view, he says, is to effect "a rectification; in regard to the navigation of the river Manoh. At present the navigation of that river, which is of the utmost importance to the trade and clevelopnien't of the country, is by treaty entirely under British control. It is tinusual among nations for one to have the exclusive navigation of a river which forms a natural boundary between two of them ; usually, in such conditions, the waterway is considered neutral." THK OBJECT OF THK VrsiT. When asked how this state of things had com© about, Mr King sai-l the Republic ceded the entire river to the Britislii Government in 1885, at the time the boundary was delimited between Liberia -md Sierra Leono, and that this course was adopted because of the friendly advice of England. When the treaty was eratered into, the French had established a trading station on an island in the Mano'h, and the Liberians were urged by the colonial authorities of Sierra Leone to grant ths entire riverine rights to 'the British, in order 'to avoid complications with Franca. It seems that up till two or three years ago this arrangement with regard to the exclusive control of the river by the British led to no friction, but now, according to Mr King, the spokesman of the delegation, the Liberian traders are constantly getting into serious trouble- because of it. ''In one ca-.se," he declares, " a citizen of ours was imiprisojiedi a.nd shamefully I reated Later, when carried before the British Commissioner, he was released, and his goods returned to hian, while the frontier police were reprimanded for their action in the matter.'' But the friction continues and increases, and unless something is done, it is said, '' the irritation that is being; produced may result in some of the English tradprs being killed." It is to try to settle this affair in a. mutually satisfactory manner t'iiafc the delegation lias been Disctssixu- this Kmwrio.v with jir CHAMJIKItLAIN. Although this is the chief aim of the Liberian officials, they have ocher objects also in hand. One of these is to have established a bank in connection with she British Bank of West Africa. If this is done, Mr King says, the monetary system