This document was created by the Digital Content Creation Unit University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 2010 COLONIAL RKPORTS—ANNUAL No. 478. BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA PROTECTORATE. REPORT FOR 1904-5. (for Baprt tor IMM, MI [CM. mi}). ttrttmttt It Ht| PHHffg if fkctiamtftt t» tft*»int nf »i* HUjwlj. Nottmbtr, 1905, * ^rr* *?11 'gwi 'JBBMhBBBBa* -ss^'gy^ w'-mgw VUUM^ LOVOOV: PBIBTBD FOB an unarm MTATIO:.U«T OFFICR. Bt DABLWQ * tON. Li*. H-40. BAOOH traa*. K. AN AHD 80NR, Im>., F»m» LAKIL B.O., mi M, inmi •wwt. Wi or OUTBB A BOTD, 1 & B. PON80NBT, 116, Ounw frmr, DUBMM, 1905. [Od. 2684-n] Priet dtf. CONTENTS. PAQR L FINANCIAL ttt *t* ••• ••• **t *»* ttt ™ II, TRAM ttt ttt tt* ttt tt* •*» ••• tt* 9 III SuirriKO ttt ttt ttt *t§ ttt ttt ttt **t W If. AOiNJOLTOrr. tt* ttt ••• ttt ttt ttt • V. AFFORESTATION ... ttt ttt ••• Ft* #•• IT TL NATIVR Aft AIM tt* ttt tt* ttt ttt ttt ••• IS VII. CATTLE »*» »t* *t# ttt ttt ••• tt* 17 •III. VlTAI. ftTATtfttCi ttt ttt ttt *** it* ttt *#* IX. LlQItLATfON ... • tt tt* ••* *tt ttt ttt 8PP X. PORTAL ttt ttt t«t tt* **t ttt *tt mm XI. PUBLIC Wotti ttt ttt ttt ttt SI XII. MILITARY ttt ••• ttt ttt ttt ttt ttt ttt 35 XIII. VOMJNPEIR BRIRRYR ... ttt ttt ttt ttt S8 XIV. MARINR TRANSPORT ... ... 89 XV* ©AMU ttt »•* •** M* ttt ttt ttt ttt 40 XVI. GRNRRAL ttt ttt t*t tt* 40 ANNEXES. I. BTATIITICAL TABLE* ttt ttt **t ttt ttt 48 * II. MKDIOAI. BRFORT ... ttt ttt tt* ••* ttt ttt 46 III. GAMR RRTI/RN tt* **t ••• ttt 66 IV. NATIVI. OTTOM IN UPPER SHIRR DISTRICT 68 V. MrrtototoGicAL ... ttt ••* •*• ttt ttt ttt 80 VI. 0YIRTOIIN MISSIONARY INSTITUTION 82 tX)M>»IAL KKPORTft—'ANNUAI.. $ No, 478. BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA PROTECTORATE. Mr. WALLIS to Mr. LYTTELTOK. GOTOrn men t OfBeee, Zombo, Sim, Britiih Central Africa, July 2, 1006. I IIAVR the honour to transmit to you my report on the Briiith Central AJrie* Protectorate for the year 1904-6, the tint year under Colonial Office adminiitration. I have, Ao., H. B. Wailm, Acting Commiwioner. im Wt S3793 Mm DAS 5 !»488 4 COLOMIAL aBPOJtTt—AMBUAL. REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1904-5. I.—FINANCE. RBVBXUF. 1. The revenue of the Protectorate lor the year 1904-5 wet approximately £67,637, being £2,608 below the estimate and £8,368 less than the preceding financial year. The ordinary revenue lor 1904-6 amounted to £61,266, as against £61,974 in 1903-4; the extraordinary revenue to £6,282, as against £13,921 in the previous year. Under the latter heading the revenue from sales of Crown lands in 1904-6 was £168, as compared with £707 in 1903-4. The increases were:—Judicial revenue, £192; native hut tax, £2,748; postal, £216; rents of Crown lands, £441; rents, <ftc, at Chinde, £469; stamp duties and licences, £349. The decreases were:—Customs, £6,462; miscellaneous, £1,480; sales and royalties on timber, £12; survey fees, £196; sales of Crowii lands, £639. EXPENDITURE, 2. The total expenditure of the year 1904-6 was approxi­ mately £123,000, being £8,000 more than estimated, and £20,600 nKire than in 1903-4. Of this total, eivil expenditure, including Police, accounted lor £73,210, the balance, £49,790, being for military expenditure incurred on behalf of the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the King's African Rifles. This item includes £6,190 deferred pay due to officers and men serving with the Somaltland contingent on the 31st March, 1904. 3. The following table shows the revenue and expenditure (civil and military) of the Protectorate for the last five years: — Revtnu* and Erptnditurt Table* Your. Rtvtnot Expenditure. £ £ 100(^*1 ••• 49,214 78,366 1 CK)1**8 •»* 51,704 107,489 H0ds^™3 •** ••• 67,477 107,957 1 a^0tS**4 • * • ••• 75,895 109,697 *904~6 (approximate) 67,537 123,000 1RITISH CBRTRAL AFRICA PROfICTORATR, 1904-5. 6 II.—TRADE. CONDITIO*. 4. Tritdt) conditions have improved, due to the extension of cotton cultivation and the general development! in agriculture, alto to the freer circulation of eash, owing to the large »um* paid to time-expired troopt and natives from the Transvaal minei. Table I., Annex I., ihowi the value* of imports and ex­ port* during the five year* 1900-1 to 1904-6, not including goods in transit. IMPORTS. 6. Inclusive of railway material and specie, imports for home consumption amount to £220,697, or .£13,011 more than the previous year. Soft goods show a considerable decrease, which is accounted for by the unusually large quantities im­ ported during 1903-4, and reduction of stock in hand of 'ho trading community on 31*t March, 1904. General details are shown in Table II., Annex I. EXPORT*. 6. Exports arc very satisfactory, and hove increased from £27,409 to £48,463. Exii ling £2,000 specie exported to Portuguese Eu»t Africa, the increase in the actual products of the Protectorate is £19,044. Cotton and coffee are responsible for the greater part of this sum. See Table III., Annex I. COMPARATIVE TABLE, IMPORTS AND EXPORT*. The total values of imports and exports, not including " goods in transit" through the Protectorate, as compared with the previous year, are shown as follows: — Value. .— 1908-4. 1904-6. ! Jmoori*— £ t Tndt imports *•• 169,300 133,92* B.C. A. A* imports ••• WW fi,885 Rittwtjr maltriil t7,7!*9 69,664 Spiels «•# ••• ••• 1,000 8,200 Total imports... 807,686 220,697 Exports 27,409 48,465 Grand total ... 246,095 2fi9,!60 InCfSSSS — 34,066 6 COLONIAL •KPOR1S—AMMl^L. TRANSIT TRADK. 7, Importi .mil exports ol " foods in transit" show a con- sidenible decrease, chiefly on account of trade being diverted through territories where no transit dues are charged, and to the development of other trade routes outside the Protectorate. The decease in transit imports as compared with the pre­ vious year ia £19,414, exports, £5,740. Table IV., Annex I., gives a comparative statement show­ ing volume of transit trade for the past five years. DIRECTION OK TRADK. 8. The direction of the Protectorate's trade for the pa«4 four years is shown in Table V., Annexuro I. The general direction of the import trade remains unaltered, Ureat Britain supplying the larger portion, the figures for 1904-5 being £176,370, exclusive of specie, as again*i £24,324 from foreign countries ami £12,803 from British Colonies. Exports to Great Britain for the same period amounted to £32,4f0, to foreign countries £12,941, and to British Colonies £3,102. III.-8HIPPING. 9. For the third year in succession tho want of water in the Shire ltiver during several months of the dry season has greatly hampered the transport of goods to the Protectorate. Towards the end of the year under review the British Central Africa Company opened a temporary railway line between Port Herald on the Lower Shire and Chiromo, the port of entry for British Central Africa. This line, which is 30 miles long, has assisted to some extent in relieving the congestion on the river, especially as regards material for the Shire Highlands Hallway. The number of vessels on the Chiromo Register of Shipping is 139, being an increase of 16. The classification is as follows: Steamers, 19; barges or lighters, 96; and boats, 24. There are 22 steamers trading between the Protectorate and Chinde, 2 being under the Portuguese flag, 1 under the German flag and 19 under the British flag. The number of vessels that cleared at Chiromo and Port Herald was 1,798; of these 278 steamers cleared inward* and earned 11.304 tons of cargo. 318 European passengers entered the Protectorate through these two ports and 207 left the Protectorate for Chinde. BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA *UOtfiCfOBATE, 1904-5. 1 Owing to the scarcity of water in the river and the com­ pletion of the temporary railway line, the port of Port Herald has increased in importance, ana an European Customs Officer is now permanently stationed there. A large proportion of the exports was sent hy rail and shipped from Port Herald. IV*—AGKICULTUKE COFFEE. 10. A very satisfactory feature during the past year has been the maintenance of the increased prices paid for coffee on the London market, i.e., satisfactory compared with prices for the past few years. Several consignments of last year's crop fetched from 60s. to 63*. Qd, per cwt., and at these rates fair profits were realised. These figures do not, of course, bear comparison with those paid in 1896, when some lots were sold in London at 114*. per cwt., while the majority of the best lots of that year fetched over 100s., but nevertheless there is an upward tendency, which is hopeful. The total crop exported from the 1st April, 1904, to the 31st March, 1905, waa 1,303,655 lbs., valued at £27,159. This is an increase of 588,912 lbs. compared with the previous year. The following tables show (1) the acreage under cultivation, production, and value, from the year 1894 to present date; and (2) present acreage in districts, and estimated production from this season's crop. (1.) Total Acreages Crop exported Valuation Year. under at 31st March for Export Valued at Cultivation, of each Year. Purposes. Lbs. Per lb. £ 1894 No statistics 93,118 No sta tisticH 1895 165,320 bd. and Gd. 4,133 1896 322,000 bd. „ 6d. 7,136 1897 762,382 bd. „ id. 16,426 1898 13,299 861,034 bd.