How to Expuiul 43 



external critics of the British South Africa Company, its 

 policy, and successes or failures. 



Now we come down to the statements directed imme- 

 diately upon the Tropics (p. 438). " The second report 

 related to a suggestion that the State might similarly 

 participate with general advantage in the distribution and 

 sale, and possibly also in the production ^ of vegetable oils 

 and fats, for the production of which the tropical territories 

 of the Empire occupy a specially favoured position. After 

 reviewing the circumstances of the trade, the sub-com- 

 mittee-expressed the opinion that a beginning should be 

 made in connection with the trade in palm products of the 

 tropical possessions of the Crown in Africa." I am a little 

 doubtful myself as to what portions of tropical Africa can 

 be counted upon as a tropical possession of the Crown, 

 since Sir Hugh Clifford, as pointed out further on, tells us 

 that, " The Gold Coast Colony of to-day, rightly viewed, 

 is not a territory which Great Britain has conquered, but 

 a federation of small independent Slates." 



That is all the room that I can spare for this cloud that 

 is threatening the well-beintr of our tropical industries, 

 except to ask my readers whether the following question, 

 put to the E.R.D.C., has ever been answered : " Does your 

 programme include European financial ' control ' in any 

 respect whatever of the successful cacao-producing enter- 

 prise of Britain's dependencies ? " Until an emphatic 

 answer in the negative is received, the cacao producers 

 within the Empire will be wise to act upon the idea that 

 they are no more likely to escape than are the fishery, 

 vegetable oil, fibres, and other industries mentioned by 

 name by Mr. Wilson-Fox, who, it must be remembered, 

 stated last July that his committee had under consideration 

 proposals whereby not only the traders and middlemen 

 were to be eliminated, but, as far as possible, the control 

 of the Civil Service as well. This means that the Tropics 

 are to be given up to the mercy of the State monopolists 

 without even the nominal " Protector " that we have given 

 to indentured coolies. The E.R.D.C. evidently have no 



' I put these four words in italics because one of my most prominent 

 critics wished to contend that Mr. Wilson- Fox had made no mention of 

 cutting out producers as well as the niiddlemen, hut only of huyinsj the 

 crops collected or jiroduced by others. Anyone reading this sentence 

 can judge for himself which of us two, my critic or myself, has put the 

 most correct interpretation on Mr. Wilson-Fox's views. 



-' Names not given, nor reasons why the members' opinions should be 

 worthy of attention. 



