BRITISH EAST AFRICA 191 



"Strangeias tliisipiay ^appear, this remains one of the curiositiesi 

 of the position. Many of the settlers, both young and middle- 

 aged, appear as if they took up the land with the expectations 

 of making a good rise out of the unearned increment, not with 

 the desire to secure a good income from the products of that 

 land, and show little desire for real hard work. 



"As in all new countries, it is the man, young or old, who is 

 capable of turning the land to best account, either by hard work 

 with his hands or brains in directing his labour, who is of the 

 greatest value to the country. 



CONGONI, SHOT BY Mr. DuNCAN CaRSON. 



' ' Unfortunately, many of the settlers appear to think by habit- 

 ing the land, by running a few head of cattle or sheep, by culti- 

 vating a small area, that they are doing all that can be expected 

 of them. Many even do less than that. For these men it has 

 been fortunate that the laud speculators have come along and 

 given them high prices, but it is unfortunate for the next man 

 who desires that block that he has to give the speculator his 

 profit and pay a price when there are few actual returns from 

 the property, in some cases no returns, to show what is the real 

 value of the place. Interest is at a high rate, and money is 

 borrowed from the private lenders at from 10 up to, I believe, 

 15 per cent., so that only high returns from the farms would 

 justify the prices, from £2 up to £3 per acre, which are paid 

 for grazing propositions. 



