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of liquor to natives, especially in connection with tropical 

 estates. This matter was brought before the last Congress, 

 and I thought it would be of interest to this meeting to mention 

 some practical results which have issued from a discussion of 

 this subject in the section of Hygiene at the last Congress 

 at Brussels. As the result of a paper presented by Dr. 

 Kerm-organt, of Paris, a series of resolutions was passed by 

 the Congress, a copy of which I have in my hand, and these 

 resolutions, which were specially brought forward and sup- 

 ported by Baron Joseph du Teil, of Paris, particularly referring 

 to Africa, formed the basis of an International Memorial which 

 was made to the Official Conference of the Powers of Europe, 

 summoned in Brussels in January, 1912, to consider the 

 question of the spirit trade in Africa. This Memorial was 

 presented on behalf of an International Federation which 

 represented eight or nine different European nations in fact, 

 all the chief colonizing' Powers and it is a particularly interest- 

 ing point of this movement that there are groups of men in 

 all the different countries of Europe who are united together 

 to deal with this question of the supply of liquor to natives, 

 which I believe has a very important bearing upon the efficiency 

 of labourers in the tropics. Personally, I think that one of 

 the greatest causes of want of efficiency amongst labourers in 

 many parts of the tropics is their use and abuse of alcohol, and 

 that this question is one which ought to be very much brought 

 to the front. I think it is a very fortunate thing that this 

 question of the supply of liquor to natives, and of the relation 

 of liquor to hygiene, has been taken out of the sphere of 

 conflict in which it is so often found, especially in the so-called 

 temperance movements, and that the various Planters' Asso- 

 ciations in different parts of the tropics have taken up this 

 matter, especially recently in Ceylon, where the question of 

 increased facilities for the supply of liquor to natives is a matter 

 of very serious concern. The matter has also been raised by 

 the tea planters in Assam, who have felt very seriously the 

 risks involved if the facilities for obtaining liquor, especially 

 if that liquor is not of good quality, were not carefully 

 restricted. I just wish in a word or two to refer to the reforms 

 that have recently taken place in Africa with regard to this 

 subject since the last Congress of Tropical Agriculture at 

 Brussels. Since the presentation of the International Memorial 

 to which I have already referred, there have been the follow- 

 ing series of reforms : Belgium has now prohibited the spirit 

 trade throughout the Congo so far as natives are concerned. 

 Portugal has taken similar action in the Congo Province of 

 Angola. The reforms instituted by France have been so 

 remarkable that I cannot even summarize them here. Suffice 



