CO885-(19-20) — Page 243

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

།། ། 「།། །

Reference :-

C.O. 8

885

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

58

13. Experimental animals monkeys, dogs, guinea-pigs, white rats, goats— will probably be required in large numbers. These should be collected and housed as soon as possible. The ordinary black-faced monkey was found in Uganda to be an excellent experimental animal. Boxes for the monkeys must be made locally. A drawing* is They are best placed on posts, so as to be above the ground. attached, and marked B.

14. In regard to the furniture of the laboratory, each worker would require to be provided with a chair and table. A drawing of a suitable table is attached, and marked C. There should also be a couple of large tables in the middle of the room. Shelves in suitable places are very useful. A sink and water-tap should be provided if possible.

15. If a destructor is provided-and it is most useful--its position would be decided by the direction of the prevailing wind.

21558

SIR,

No. 38.

EAST AFRICA PROTECTORATE.

CAPTAIN A. S. WARWICK to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received July 1, 1911.)

[Copy to Governor, 12 July, 1911, No. 376. See No. 47.]

13, Carlisle Mansions, Carlisle Place, S. W., June 30, 1911. AFTER Conversation with Mr. II. J. Read, C.M.G., and Mr. Lionel Earle, C.B., C.M.G., I beg to submit to you the following suggestions in writing as

I wish at once to state that :— requested by them.

(a)

have no pecuniary interests directly or indirectly in East Africa, neither am I likely to have.

(b) I wish it to be clearly understood that I am trying to benefit the Govern- ment, and so the taxpayer, not the big-game shooter, except so far as by "encouraging" the latter, he will benefit the Government. (c) I make these suggestions purely from a business point of view as a tax-

payer and because, ultimately, it will, I think, benefit all concerned.

SHOOTING PARTIES.

As the Government obtain some thousands annually-I believe over £50,000 has been paid-from licences which are easily collected, and as these licences are one of the country's best assets, it would appear that the Government might reason- ably endeavour to encourage those paying as much as £70 for perhaps only three or four weeks' residence while shooting, so that they may return again as well as advise others to go out, as for their own future" protection," by taking more interest in arranging matters for shooters and not leaving them to the tender mercies of local agents, who, to put it plainly, fleece the strangers.

For myself, had friends, and I received every kindness from officials, and I am certain that being able to find out how to go about things saved me a good 50 per cent., if not much more, than if I had been forced to arrange everything through agents.

This is not encouraging to strangers who pay, as I have stated, and then have to do as best they can. I merely suggest that Government should endeavour for them to make all arrangements with regard to boys through the Chief Transport Officer, Mombasa.

One can do this in Portuguese East Africa, the boys being paid on their return, the money being paid, when signing on, to the official engaging boys; the result is:

(a) Minimum of discomfort to shooters.

(b) Control over boys by Government and a specified rate of pay.

As it now stands, the boys know that they can do what they please with shooters, the result being that for the sake of peace and to avoid loss of time, the latter keep on paying; I was compelled to do so myself in spite of many of my boys having been engaged through a District Commissioner. This in a native country and where labour is required, spells, sooner or later, chaos, as, when boys have plenty. of money, they will not work.

The official blames the shooter for paying boys so well; one official told me I ought to bring my boys up before a magistrate when they gave trouble, and when I replied that I was only in the country for four weeks, and that as there was only

* Not reproduced.

59

one railway by doing so I should have no time to shoot at all, he seemed to grasp the situation.

Officials are too apt to forget that they are the one class boys fear, because they can always get hold of them, and they always seem to imagine that what they can do with their boys the stranger of a few weeks can do also.

A great deal of this can be remedied, if Government will only fix a fair standard wage, engage boys themselves for strangers, and have them paid by an official on expiration of trip. Government may shirk this responsibility, fearing trouble if boys run away, &c.; my answer to this is:-

(a) It is their duty, if they take from £50-£70 from a man for only a few

weeks' shooting.

(b) Strangers would gladly sign a paper of " non-responsibility."

(c) Strangers will end by going elsewhere to shoot, owing to the boys being

'impossible," then licences will fall off.

(d) The day will arrive when Government itself will not be able to control

the boys, owing to their having too much money.

I can only speak personally on this point; every two or three years I go some- where to shoot in East Africa; much as I should prefer to go to Mombasa I go to Portuguese territory and elsewhere, owing to the much greater comfort and discipline one can obtain from the local boys, and as I have repeatedly heard this complaint of our territory one can only presume it is merely a case of time when others will find out and go elsewhere as well; then the receipts from licences will fall.

GAME RESERVES.

It does not appear advisable to permit a "small" game reserve to increase too much in quantity; reserves should be changed continually, as if disease, so prevalent in Africa, should break out, then not only game, but domestic cattle will be destroyed Surely

as well-is this fair to the settler, without whom the country is useless?

Again, is it politic to make a reserve anywhere near the railway?

the settler should have first claim on such land, and to have a game reserve any- where near means destruction to his fences and crops.

HIDES.

Doubtless to preserve game being ruthlessly destroyed, local officials placed an embargo on exportation of hides, thousands of pounds yearly are thus literally thrown away for the sake of the game, whereas, with a little trouble and organisation with each District Commissioner, the Government could reap a material benefit.

From enquiries I have made, the smaller skins are probably worth from 88. to 158. dressed and the larger 20s. to 30s. when dressed.

Take, for instance, zebra and hartebeest they are practically not required as trophies, few boys care about their meat, and a dozen of the former will destroy a settler's fences and crops in a night, and yet, in some districts, they abound.

I suggest that hides of all animals killed, not required as trophies, shall be handed to a District Commissioner, or an agent appointed by him, on the expiration of the trip, or, better, let Government pay a small price per hide, then shooters will take a little trouble; my idea being for Government to reap the benefit of such hides, not to permit shooters selling for themselves. Local officials should easily be able to check "slaughter" of game, in the same way that they now check heads when leaving the country, and, in addition, they can check a shortage of hides produced when checking heads (with horns) required to be exported.

My sole object in writing the above is to preserve as long as possible the asset of game licences to the country, always remembering that the settlers' interests must be considered first: sooner or later the game must go, but if outlying districts, especially those away from prospective railways, are kept for game till land is taken up,

it will be some generations before the finest shooting ground in East Africa It should will be non est, and so the valuable asset received from licences cease. not be forgotten that as the games goes further afield, so will the shooter follow, and that by his doing so, he very materially help to open up and advertise the country.

Local officials may disagree with these statements, but I respectfully point out that East Africa is for the settlers of a future generation, not for a big-game reserve. People at home may say that boys having money to spend create trade. This is no doubt an excellent point from the manufacturer's point of view who

29746

H 2