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PART PagGENERAL7 SUMMARY AND IONCLUSIONS
1. FORMATION, TERMS OF REFERENCE AND ORGANISATION
The Department was initiated by the appointment of the Chief Scientific Officer on January 30, 1947, with the following terms of reference:—
"The principal responsibility of the Chief Scientific Officer in the initial years will be to carry out research and collect scientific data to form the basis of the agricultural and soil preserving methods to be followed.
"The first object is the institution of agricultural methods capable of giving maximum yields consistent with the maintenance of soil fertility. Investigation of the production of other food crops will have to be pursued concurrently, both to feed the personnel and as a basis for the future developments outlined in the Mission's report, should these be undertaken.
"The Chief Scientific Officer will be assisted by a specialist staff and will be responsible for directing the work of such scientific personnel as may be necessary."
Following these instructions, the Chief Scientific Officer travelled to Tanganyika with the advance party on January 30, 1947. Later in the year a secretary, a chemist, three soil surveyors, a soil chemist, an analyst, an agronomist, a statis- tician and an entomologist joined the staff of the Department, and at various times field assistants were seconded from the agricultural staff for work in the Department. African assistants were engaged for training and are becoming proficient in both field and laboratory work.
An experimental farm of about 100 acres was developed at Kongwa, and experimental areas totalling 20 acres at Urambo (Western Province) and 7. acres at Namanga (Southern Province) were also controlled by the Department. No laboratory facilities were available until March, 1948, when a temporary chemical laboratory in two tents was opened at Kongwa. The Departmental Library and offices were also housed in tents throughout the period.
The work and staff of the Department is organised in six divisions as follows:- (a) Headquarters and Administration (Chief Scientific Officer: A. H.
Bunting, M.Sc., D.Phil.)
(b) Soils
(c) Experimental Crop Studies
(d) Plant Protection
(e) Laboratory
(f) Statistics
Mr. A. Walter (formerly Director, British East African Meteorological Service) was Meteorological Adviser to the Scheme during the year.
The programme for the year included as principal items the following:-
(a) Rapid reconnaissance surveys of areas in East Africa proposed for
development by the Corporation (section 2),
(b) Soil fertility and fertiliser studies based in part on the surveys
(sections 4, 11).
(c) Experimental crop work on groundnuts and many other crops
(sections 6, 7, 12, 13).
(d) Preliminary surveys of insect and disease attacks on groundnuts and other
crops (sections 8, 14).
(e) Routine laboratory investigation of soils and of the oil content of oilseeds
(sections 4, 9, 11, 15).