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in Schedules II. and III. of the said Ordinance, that is to say, all animals except elephant, rhinoceros, giraffe, mountain zebra, and white-tailed gnu. As to the third and fourth of the animals thus excepted, it is doubtful whether they exist in the Protectorate, therefore the effect of the Proclamation was practically to throw the area to free hunting in respect of all wild beasts whatsoever, except only open elephant, rhinoceros, and a rare species of gnu. This Proclamation was expressed to be in force for one year, namely, until the 31st December, 1912.

The same Proclamation was again published in the Government Gazette of the 30th April, 1913, in the name of the then Acting Governor, Major F. B. Pearce, extending the same privileges of free hunting in the same area until the 31st December. 1913.

Finally, a Notice was published in the Gazette of January 31st, 1914, announcing the termination of the privileges conferred by the above Proclamation.

In view of the above, I am to enquire whether the members of the deputation desire to make any addition to the observations which they addressed to the Governor at the time when His Excellency received them.

I have, &c.,

E. F. COLVILE,

Acting Secretary to the Administration.

151.

We are also of opinion to have delayed the advance of tsetse in the area concerned. that the Ngara area was not the most suitable nor sufficiently large for the purpose aimed at.

On the other hand, in the districts the deputation named, there is every likeli- hood of the Proclamation being widely spread and better understood, and if published in all the villages of the districts, while the natives are better able to take advantage of the facilities afforded to them.

For this reason we are not able to accept the result of the experiment at Ngara as at all meeting our proposals, and we therefore again press for Government action on the lines suggested by the deputation of the Chamber.

On behalf of the deputation of the Committee of the Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce.

I have, &c.,

ALLAN F. KIDNEY,

President.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference

LICO. 885

22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

Enclosure 6 in No. 76.

The PRESIDENT, Chamber of Agriculture and COMMERCE, Blantyre, to the ACTING SECRETARY TO THE ADMINISTRATION, Zomba. SIR,

11th March, 1914.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge receipt of your letter, No. 36x1, of the 5th instant, relative to the proposal of the Chamber of Agriculture and Commerce to throw open an area to the free hunting and killing of game as a means of driving them back and so lessening the chances of infected animals bringing the · germs of sleeping sickness into the district thus protected.

You point out that such an area was, in 1912, thrown open by Proclamation in the Gazette, and that the experiment proved a failure. The fact that such a Proclamation escaped the notice of those in the country keenly interested in the subject (including the Attorney-General) is sufficient to show that its purport was not understood, and that a Proclamation of the opening up of any area to the free hunting of game in such a form as that in the Gazette would not be likely to secure the publicity desired unless accompanied by some notification, either to the Chamber or the public, as to the object of the Proclamation. Some of our members took it to mean the opening of the district to free hunting for the purposes of the Sleeping Sickness Comunission. The deputation would also point out that certain animals being reserved would also tend to mislead people.

When the Proclamation in the Gazette failed of its object in making the matter known among the Europeans in Blantyre-many of whom, as above stated. are interested in the subject-there is a very strong probability that the terms of such a Proclamation would not be understood by the natives in the remote district of Ngara.

That this is so is made clear by a communication on this subject received from Dr. Prentice at Kasungu, who has been resident in the district referred to for many years, who is keenly interested in the whole question, and to whom the whole district is familiar. He writes under date, 24th February, 1914:—

Also in this sub-division (Ngara), so far as I have been able to ascertain, only one native owned a gun and gun licence. Many natives knew nothing about there being a free hunting area until I spoke to them about it; and the severity of their punishments a few years ago, for any connec tion with a game hunt, was, so great that they will want to be very sure of their ground before they again take to hunting.”

widely made

It is clear from this, therefore, that the Proclamation was not so or so sufficiently understood as to make the Ngara experiment a conclusive one. As regards the total failure of the experiment, Dr. Prentice has expressed in the same letter the view that although the number of animals killed was small, it seems

Enclosure 7 in No. 76.

The ACTING ASSISTANT CHIEF SECRETARY, Zomba, to the PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF Commerce and AGRICULTURE, Blantyre.

SIR,

15th April, 1914.

I AM directed by the Governor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 11th of March in reply to mine, No. 3681, of the 5th idem.

His Excellency understood from the deputation which waited upon him in Blantyre that the Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture no longer desire to press the question of free shooting for Europeans, and that the request made is now confined to sanctioning the free hunting of game by natives by native methods in the districts of Zomba, Blantyre, Mlanje, and West Shire.

His Excellency desires me to say that he has given the matter the fullest consideration in Executive Council, but that in existing circumstances, which have been alluded to in previous correspondence and at the interview in Blantyre, he does not feel himself in a position to accede to the proposal. I am to add, however, that the correspondence which has passed will be forwarded to the Secretary of State in connection with the deliberations of the Committee which is now sitting in London to investigate the relationship between wild animals and trypanosomiasis.

I have, &c.,

E. F. COLVILE,

Acting Assistant Chief Secretary.

Enclosure 8 in No. 76.

REPORT ON THE RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL FREE SHOOTING AREA, NGARA SUB-DISTRICT.

1913.

This area was thrown open in December, 1910, and closed on December 31st,

Natives were not provided by Government with guns, but were allowed to destroy game with such weapons as they possessed, to set traps, and to organise drives, and to net, poison, or hunt game with dogs, &c., &c.

Such natives and Europeans as were in possession of gun licences were allowed to kill game (elephant excepted) without taking out game licences. So far as I know no native has used a gun in the area. The only native in the sub-district who possesses a gun, having also a game licence, finds it more convenient to hunt else- where. The only Europeans who have shot in the area have been those resident at Ngara or Kasungu Mission, and these only incidentally, as they have always been in possession of game licences.

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