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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

C.O.

Reference :-

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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cocoa

crush her enemies. have carefully read the papers connected with the recommen- dations of the Economic Conference of the Allies, held at Paris, and, in heartily wish to bring a few points endorsing Your Excellency's motion on this matter, under Your Excellency's observation. Several mentions have been made here about What we ask for, in the first place, is the recog- native produce, such as cocoa, etc.

They are nition of the fact that the natives are the actual producers. farmers. They extract oil. They collect palm seed. When all the recommenda- tions of the Economic Conference shall have come into full operation, I ask that the interests of these producers and farmers should be most carefully protected, and that they should be enabled to feel that they could be well treated since they have proved themselves loyal and true to the British Government.

My second point is the fact that for some time past the native people have found it impossible to protect their crops from destruction by wild animals. Previ- ously, it had been usual for them to purchase flint-lock guns for that purpose, but they have, latterly, been restricted in doing so, with the result that for some years past, as I have said, they have experienced very great difficulty in protecting their crops from the ravages of wild animals. I do not see that flint-lock guns do any harm, and the natives were using them merely for the purpose of driving wild animals from their farms. I would suggest that, if Government will find it possible to allow natives to use flint-lock guns and to purchase common gunpowder for the same, it will assist the growth and development of agricultural enterprise, especially of the Southern Provinces.

My third point is in regard to the native shippers. These are also people who have either enjoyed trade here. in Lagos, or shipped their produce direct to England. I would suggest that, during the present time and after the War, these native shippers, and, in fact, whoever wishes to ship his produce direct to England, should be allowed to do so and not be prevented from doing it. If the points I have put before Your Excellency will receive favourable consideration, then, on behalf of my people in the Southern Provinces, I heartily adhere to the recommendations of the Economic Conference of the Allies, and sincerely trust that their operation will result in our enemies having respect for His Majesty's Government.

THE HONOURABLE DORE NUMA-I concur with what my honourable friend, who has just spoken, has said, and I join him in heartily adhering to the recommen- dations of the Paris Conference.

THE HONOURABLE Mr. Evans -Your Excellency: I have listened with great interest to all that you have said in connexion with the recommendations of the Economic Conference of the Allies, and have come to the conclusion that there is very little left for us to say on the subject, as you have expressed all our opinions so admirably in your speech.

There is one point, however, to which I would like to refer, and that is the war export tax of £2 a ton on palm kernels. This is an excellent suggestion, but, in my opinion, will not be sufficient to keep the Germans out of the palm kernel trade; they should be excluded altogether from this country, for, if the Germans are allowed to trade here again, the German mercantile marine will follow, and a £2 per ton tax could easily be adjusted by the German subsidized lines of steamships. When I was at home the last time I spoke to a large number of people interested in this subject, and they were of the opinion that within six months after the War the The German mercantile marine would appear on the high seas fully equipped. only way of preventing them from entering the ports of Nigeria is to exclude the German traders altogether from the country. In this connexion, I am in accord Nigeria for the with the honourable member who spoke first, in saying that British." By" British" I mean also natives of Nigeria.

Your Excellency also remarked that we should welcome non-enemy capital. Well, sir, there is no objection to non-enemy capital coming to Nigeria, but are we assured that our own capital will receive the same welcome in the non-enemy coun- tries? I have had a good deal of commercial experience in Belgian, Portuguese, French, and German colonies, and I have never seen that British merchants are welcomed there. They are received with politeness, but it is quite understood that their own people come first.

Your Excellency further said that it would be impossible to crush the German trade or to exclude the Germans after the War from the trade and commerce of the world. I quite agree with Your Excellency in that view, and it behoves us. there- fore, to take the necessary steps to protect Nigeria from the influence the evil

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influence that has been exerted in the past by the Germans and their business methods.

I intended also to say something about the "open door" policy, but my honour- able friend (Mr. Ajasa) sitting opposite me, took the words out of my mouth in the speech that he has preceded me in making. I must say that, if you do have the open door," I hope you will place a strong guard there to see that nobody comes in or goes out without being thoroughly searched.

I would also like to say that if you trust the British merchants, I do not think you will have any cause to regret it. They fully realize the requirements of the situation, and I am thoroughly convinced that they are prepared to do everything in their power to meet them. Personally, I do not therefore think there is any need to find any foreign capital. All capital necessary to develop the resources of Nigeria can be found by the British merchants, and I am sure they will do every- thing in encouraging the natives in that direction-natives, of course, who are pre- pared to establish themselves on a business basis, not the profiteers who are taking advantage of the abnormal conditions existing at present.

I am quite sure that the proposals which Your Excellency has put forward in your speech in regard to the recommendations of the Economic Conference of the Allies are admirable ones, and I heartily endorse them all, and I hope, with Your Excellency's assistance, we shall not see any Germans back in Nigeria again.

THE HONOURABLE the Central SECRETARY:-Sir: I had prepared a few notes in regard to this question after studying the papers very carefully, but Your Excel- lency, in, if I may say so, your very comprehensive speech, has, as the Honourable Mr. Evans has said in regard to Mr. Ajasa, taken almost everything that I have to say out of my mouth.

Perhaps there are one or two points to which I might refer, to which reference has already been made, but perhaps not entirely in the same connexion. The first subject which I might mention is that which the Honourable Mr. Evans dealt with in his concluding remarks. That is in regard to the exclusion of enemy subjects from Nigeria. If Clause V. of Table B of the recommendations of the Paris Con- ference is read carefully, it will be observed that it is not the contemplated policy of His Majesty's Government that enemy subjects should be prevented entirely from carrying on business or professional undertakings within the United Kingdom, and presume that that would extend to British possessions. It is stated in that clause that:-

'The Allies will devise the measures to be taken jointly or severally for preventing enemy subjects from exercising, in their territories, certain industries or professions which concern national defence or economic independence."

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trade.

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EX

The inference is that, if the industries do not fall under the ban indicated in the last sentence of the passage quoted, enemy subjects will be free to come into the country and to carry on the trade which they carried on before in Nigeria. I have no doubt that Your Excellency has already considered the question of the exclusion of enemy subjects from our territory in Nigeria for, at least, a period coinciding with that called in these papers the Reconstruction period." There will be a settlement" period for us in Nigeria apart from the mere question of

In turning, sir, for a moment, to the question of imports, I will allude, with Your Excellency's permission, to the question of spirits which Your Excellency dealt with to-day in your speech and yesterday in your opening address to this Council. I think we can say that we all entirely sympathize with Your Excellency in the views you have expressed, and that we share Your Excellency's hope that the very large amount of trade spirits which has been imported into Nigeria in the past--and they are still being imported in a considerable bulk-will be replaced later by articles manufactured in England which will be of more benefit to the natives in every way.

As you said, sir, yesterday, the import of trade spirits has fallen off in a remarkable manner. In 1913 we imported 1,880,000 gallons of alcohol. In 1915- 1916 I do not suppose, taking the two years together, we shall import three-quarters of the quantity imported in that one year. In some of the markets the natives have refused, as I understand, to buy spirits, because they consider that they are too expensive, in the same way that many people in England now refuse to buy liquor because it has also become extraordinarily expensive. If we turn to the returns of