CHAPTER XXIV 



NATIVES AND LABOUR IN TROPICAL EAST 

 AFRICA 



One of the limiting factors to the development of 

 agriculture in East Africa is the difficulty of pro- 

 curing labour ; a difficulty which arises from three 

 causes : a sparse population, indolent disposition 

 of the people, inexperience of white employers. 



The density of population in the three Protec- 

 torates of Great Britain, Germany, and Portugal 

 is probably between 20 and 30 to the square 

 mile ; that of the United Kingdom is 350, India 

 166. These figures bring out the absolute 

 deficiency of people, a fact often overlooked by 

 planters, whose complaint usually is that the 

 natives do not want to work, and that when they 

 are persuaded to accept service they are lazy and 

 indolent. 



Africans, taking them as a whole, dislike regular 

 work, and I must confess that I do not find fault 

 with them for that. They did not ask the 



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