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305. The Southern Province presented the greatest difficulty.
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306. Small supplies of vegetables were grown by the Corporation at Namanga, but these were insufficient to supply everybody. Vegetables were flown in from the Southern Highlands at considerable expense, but these, while giving the Europeans a reasonable ration, allowed only an occasional allocation to the Africans. A small Corporation vegetable farm at Mahiwa has produced little and transport difficulties complicated distribution. Towards the end of the year, African rations improved. Fresh meat was seldom available, and tinned meat and dried fish had to take its place. This was of reasonable quality and well-liked. Tinned meat was of the type specially supplied for use as African rations. In Appendix VI is a report of the result of a survey of African nutrition made during the year.
Shopping Facilities
307. The Corporation found itself in control of the shops in existence in the Kongwa Region and decided instead to transfer the ownership to private traders. It is the policy of the Corporation to transfer ownership of all its remaining shops to private traders and to invite them to open new ones where they are found to be necessary. The Corporation is encouraging com- petition and discouraging any attempts at monopoly.
308. A mobile shop, operated by the Corporation, served the needs of the staff in the bush, while nine African shops catered for the everyday needs of the men and their families.
309. In Urambo, one shop catered for the complete needs of the Euro. pean staff.
A shop for Africans was opened in 1948, but owing to the lack of European supervision, stealing was so great that it was closed, and another and smaller shop in the forward labour camp was opened in its place.
310. Towards the end of the year the first European shop was opened in Mkwaya and, a little later, one in Nachingwea. Both foodstuffs and merchan- dise were on sale.
PART III: EDUCATION AND SOCIAL LIFE
The Ifunda Training Centre
311. It has been the aim of the Corporation to ensure that the Project provides an outlet for the ambitious and capable African. The great need has been to obtain skilled and semi-skilled men and to do this the Cor- poration decided to set up its own training centre.
312. For this purpose the Corporation took over from the Tanganyika Government in June, 1948, a Polish Refugee Camp at Ifunda in the Southern Highlands. It is somewhat remote from the three groundnut Regions; the Camp was built for occupation by individual families, not as a training centre; and capital development will be necessary before the centre is properly equipped with workshops, bays and stores.
313. It was decided to aim at the training of 1,000 artisans per year— 100 clerks, 250 civil engineering artisans, and 650 mechanical engineering artisans. In addition recruits are trained at Ifunda for the Auxiliary Police Service and for the Hospital and Sanitary Services. The cost of the training centre is estigateUlat £8010007in a full year.
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