The Eastern Congo 



it is possible to devise, and a new concentrating plant about 

 to come into operation, upon which, with railway accessories 

 and mine development, the Union Minilre has lately spent 

 £3,000,000. Then in the same concession to the north and 

 north-west we find tin, gold, cobalt, uranium, platinum, and 

 now coal, which together with the copper are set in a well- 

 wooded, well-watered, well-populated, upland country suitable 

 for agriculture (and on the plateaux suitable for stock raising) 

 and supplied by the Katanga Railway. Still farther to the 

 north again, but off the Katanga highlands and near the 

 junction of the Luvua with the Lualaba River, there is the 

 rich Geomine tin mine with an ever increasing production, 

 which will presently reach an output of 1,000 tons of cassi- 

 terite annually. Then taking a turn to the east outside 

 the Congo basin, we find in the newly-acquired kingdom of 

 Ruanda, one of the richest cattle countries in Africa, which 

 has lately attracted the attention of both the Liebig Meat 

 Extract Company and the Kemmerich Meat Company. After 

 that we pass on north through a wonderful ivory-producing 

 country to the rich gold district of the north-east, where the 

 Kilo, Moto and Senguli Mines are on the eve of increased 

 production with modern machinery. Leaving these mines 

 and travelling west through the largest forest in Africa 

 we pass across the north central Congo basin where at first 

 we find, besides more ivory, vast stores of rubber being ex- 

 ploited, a large production of good-quality rice ; and then, 

 farther on still, we arrive at the centre of the immense palm- 

 oil industry of the Societe Anonyme des Huileries du Congo 

 with Lord Leverhulme in command, which has expended a 

 similar vast sum to the Union Miniere for accessories and 

 development, and which owns a fleet of five large steamers 



216 



