COTTON 77 



at a place called Anum, and, under the control of the 

 Agricultural Department, this was transferred to a better 

 site soon afterwards, at a place named Labolabo on the 

 east bank of the Volta river. In addition to the extension 

 of about two hundred acres of land, which were planted 

 with native and American varieties of cotton, encourage- 

 ment was given to the natives in the vicinity to grow 

 more, on the understanding that their crops would be 

 purchased from them at one penny per pound. Unfor- 

 tunately no arrangements had been made to store or 

 gin a large quantity of seed cotton, and the entire native 

 crop could not be taken over when brought in. This seems 

 to have induced the native growers to convey most of 

 their cotton into Togoland, where they were able to 

 dispose of it at a fair price. Arrangements had to be 

 made with a local firm possessing a ginning machine, 

 which was erected about sixty miles lower down the Volta 

 river, by which, on payment of a certain rate, the seed 

 cotton grown on the Labolabo plantation was ginned 

 and prepared for shipment. It was soon recognised that 

 the expense of transport of the seed cotton for this dis- 

 tance, and the price charged for ginning, prevented the 

 production of cotton for export except at a heavy finan- 

 cial loss. The co-operation of the British Cotton Grow- 

 ing Association was asked for, in order to supply gins 

 at Labolabo, and in 1906 three hand gins were sent 

 from the Gold Coast Exhibition, which had just been 

 held. The machines were much damaged in transit, and 

 it was some time before the large stock of seed cotton, 

 which had accumulated, could be worked off. Soon after 

 this the Labolabo plantation was transferred entirely to 

 the British Cotton Growing Association, and an annual 

 grant was made by the Government to assist in the 

 working. In 1907 a large steam-power ginnery was 

 put up, and the native farmers again began to bring in 

 their seed cotton for sale, but still a considerable quantity 

 was reported to be diverted to Togoland, where the 

 price offered was a fraction higher than that paid by the 

 Association. 



The cotton bales are transported from the ginnery by 

 means of native canoes as far as Amedika, which is the 

 highest point on the Volta to which small steamers can 

 ascend, but great risk is entailed in decending the rapids 



