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be possible to bring into cultivation within a comparatively short time wide areas of land suitable for growing oilseeds. The crop which he favoured was groundnuts, partly because of its relatively high oil content and partly because, being an annual, it would yield returns quickly.

W.

23. Mr. Samuel's plan was to clear an area of 2,500,000 acres so that, after allowing for rotational cropping to preserve the land, 1,000,000 acres could be kept under permanent cultivation. This, he estimated, would yield about 400,000 tons of shelled nuts or 160,000 tons of oil each year. The use of mechanical equipment would mean that a comparatively small labour force would be required-about 400 Europeans and 20,000 Africans would probably be able to manage the whole area and the capital cost of the Scheme would be in the region of £8,000,000. The cost of production had been assessed at £7 13s. 2d. per ton of shelled groundnuts f.o.r. Mr. Samuel believed that the plan could bring immense benefits both to the United Kingdom and to Tanganyika, but that if the project were to be carried forward on the scale and with the intensity necessary to make a contribution to the supplies of fat within a reasonable time, only the resources of Govern- ment would be adequate to launch and run it.

The Wakefield Mission

24. The plan was received with profound interest, but the Government could not commit itself to a scheme of this magnitude, involving as it must, very considerable risks, without full investigation, further technical advice and consultation with responsible officials on the spot. Accordingly, an Official Mission was sent out to East Africa under the auspices of the Colonial Office, and under the lead ship of Mr. A. J. Wakefield, formerly Director of Agriculture in Tanganyika Territory, and more recently Inspector General of Agriculture in the West Indies. With him were Mr. J. Rosa, of the Colonial Office, and Mr. D. L. Martin, head of the Plantation Depart- ment of the United Africa Company. The party left London on June 20, 1946, and spent just over nine weeks in Africa, during which time they covered 10,000 miles by air, and 3,000 miles by road and rail. On September 20, they presented their report to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. It contained the following recommendation:

"Now that we have seen for ourselves the great opportunities offered by East and Central Africa.... and have discussed the problems involved with the local Administrations and technical departments, we are able confidently to support the project, subject to minor modifications and to recommend its immediate adoption."

25. The report went on to give the Mission's assessment of what could be achieved in terms of production and costs. Their advice was that the Govern- ment should aim at clearing 3,210,000 acres of bush by 1952 (2,400,000 acres of this in Tanganyika) a larger area than had been suggested by Mr. Samuel. This acreage could be expected to yield slightly over 600,000 tons of shelled nuts a year. The aim should be to clear 150,000 acres in 1947 and a further 450,000 acres in 1948. The full acreage cleared should be sown to ground- nuts in the autumn of each of the two years, so that a harvest of 56,920 tons could be expected in 1948 and of 227,676 tons in 1949.

26. Total capital expenditure for the entire Scheme was estimated at £23,975,000 and the cost of clearing an acre of land at £3 17s. 4d. On the basis of an average yield of 850 lbs. of shelled nuts per acre, the cost of pro- duction f.o.b. an African port, after allowing in full for amortisation, was assessed at £14 5s. 6d.

27. Labour requirements for clearing and planting the first 150,000 acres in 1947 were expected to be about 160 Europeans and 7,500 Africans.

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