Apr.
The British Government' has recently issued a blue book being the report of the "Commission on closer union of the Dependencies in Eastern and Central Africa.' This is an in its main principles." This follows up the declaration made by the government in 1923: "Kenya is an African territory land his Majesty's government think it necessary, definitely to record their considered opinion, {that the interests of the African natives must be paramount. The white settlers in East Africa are as one to 400 of the important document for it defines what is to be the policy of Great Britain towards. the population of the mandated territories in what used to be called the dark continent. The area that comes under the survey of the report comprises a vast tract of land nearly equal in extent to half of Europe. Itis fertile and rich in everything that would make its possessors great, There 10 equal section of the earth's surface that population. In this it differs widely from South Africa where the proportion is one to four. But the principle is the same. The white man does not go t? Afriea—to British Afriea—cs a member of a conquering race. He goes to invest -his intel-Higence, his capital and his ability in the development and opening up of the country but in any conflict of interest between the immigrant and the natives the interest of the latter must excels in potential value those Jands that have thus come under the sway of Britain, Since history began these places have been, shrouded in mystery. Men are still living who can remember the discovery of the source of the Nile, the river that had, for millenniums, flowed out the unknown across the desert and through Egypt to the sea. Livingstone devoted his life to opening up a road into the heart of Africa in the hope that by so doing he would kill the slave trade and heal the "open sore"
the world. Stanley's expendi-to find Livingstone in 1871 threw a flood of light into the dark corners of the hidden land, Ceci} Rhodes added his part and when the Cape to Cairo railway began to push its way north into the hitherto impenetrable bush the map of Africa was an open book, The great game of war was played in Africa under conditions no less trying than in other theatres and Generals Smuts and Botha added new laurels to their names and the peace conference mandated the conquered territories to be administered by Great Britain.
The nation shoulders the new responsibility with an easy insouciance, but that is merely becense the ordinary citizen has no conception of the natui of the problems involved in administering an immense trict, as large as several European countries, with sparse population, which barely reached the kindergarten stage of development, The Colonial Secretary was in the position of a man with a large family of his own, who has sud~ denly thrust upon him. several more untrained and rowdy youngsters and is at. his wits end to know what to do with them, In this instance he did the obvious thing. A Royal Commission is a very present help in time of trouble and he, last year, appointed such Commission which has just made the report to which we have referred, There are in the Mandated: territory, roughly speaking, three races whose interests have to be considered. There is the native race, the owners of a heritage too vast for them to do anything with. There is the European race, men who have gone from our own country; the pioneers who break up the bush and lay the foundations of a state, And there is the race, Indians, Chinese Arabs who occupy a middle position, Superior to the natives prevail." This document proclaims the magna charta of East Africa, The settler there may [develop the land but he may not exploit the native to his hurt. The pioneer is worthy of his hire and without him the native must remain for ever in the backward state in which he now is, but his working must be done in such fashion that while prospering himself his prosperity shall further the interests of the African tribes.
Chinese propagandists often charge us with imperialism and by this they mean the enslavement of the more backward races with whom we come in contact. But here in East Africa case in point. There is no trade there, We will go and make trade, There is no industry but we will introduce manufactures and teach the tribesmen to be craftsmen as we have taught thousands of Chinese the use of machin There is no education but we will set up schools and in the short course of a generation th black man will be writing entific books on subjects his thers never dreamt of. And what will be the end of these things?—Will the black m: on his own ground, bent the white man at his own game and become again the "paramount power in the land of his fathers? That we do not know. Sufficient to the day the task there of. Meantime, while we develop Africa "the terests of the motive must by paramount."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.