452 
THK  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
IJan,  I,  1897. 
pay  ; the  route  presents  no  insuperable  difficulties  ; 
and  the  time  is  ripa  for  it.  Meanwhile  the  nee.l ' 
for  roads  is  as  urgent  as  ever.  Why  can  Govren- 
ment  not  got  out  a military  engineer  cither  from 
homo  or  from  India  instead  of  frittering  away 
money  in  amateur  attempts  by  men  who  know 
nothing  whatever  about  roadmaking.  One  of  our 
Indian  Officers  might  easily  be  picked  from  the 
engineers  and  then  we  would  be  able  to  get  roads 
and  not  useless  tracks.  Money  is,  in  many  cases, 
simply  being  wasted  on  socalled  roads  which  will 
never  be  fit  for  vehicular  traffic.  Once  a road  is 
surveyed  it  would  be  better,  too,  to  get  it  made  by 
contract  and  let  the  Government  cease  to  compete 
with  merchants  and  planters  for  labour. 
THE  PRESEUV.VnON  Ol’  G.\ME. 
We  have,  of  late,  had  more  to  criticise  than  to 
praise  in  the  action  of  the  Administration  so  that  it 
is  a pleasure  to  be  able  to  commend  the  proclamation 
in  the  last  Gazette  as  to  the  preservation  of  the  game 
in  what  used  to  l>e  known  as  the  elephant  marsh. 
The  elephant  marsh  being  so  easily  reached  from 
Chinde  is  a favourite  hunting-ground,  but  unfortunately 
the  hunting  has  not  always  been  carried  on  in  a 
sportsmanlike  manner.  Game  is  sometimes  s’'.ot  irres- 
pective of  size,  sex,  or  condition  ; and  often  the  car- 
cases are  left  to  the  vultures  and  the  hysEiias.  Tue 
declaring  of  this  area  a preserve  will  therefore  com- 
mend itself  to  all  right  ihinking  persons.  Tliei  e is, 
moreover,  another  aspect  of  the  matter.  It  may  yet 
be  found  possible  to  utilise  the  zebra,  if  not  the 
buffalo,  as  draft  animals  and  this  preserve  will  afford 
the  material  to  experiment  upon.  Both  the  African 
elephant  and  the  zebra  have  been  tamed  and  used 
and  it  is  a pity  we  here  in  this  protectorate  cannot 
rpake  use  of  their  services.  The  African  elephant, 
for  example,  would  very  quickly  solve  the  transport 
difficulty  if  only  someone  with  capital  sufficient  w'ould 
serioirsly  attempt  to  utilise  it. 
COMMEND.VBLE  ENXEUP1U3E. 
Mr.  Morkel,  who  has  started  a transport  service 
on  the  Blantyre-Zomba  road,  is  now  busy  making 
drifts  at  all  the  streams  and  doing  his  best  to  improve 
the  road  for  transport  work.  This  is  w'ork  the  Admin- 
istration have  been  urged  to  do  again  and  again  but 
as  usual  it  has  been  left  to  private  enterprise  to  see 
the  improvement  effected.  We  hope,  however,  for  the 
sake  of  their  own  good  namo  that  the  Administration 
will  see  that  Mr.  Morkel  is  suitably  recouped  for  his 
work,  undertaken  in  the  public  behoof  as  much  as  his 
own.  It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Morkel  success- 
fully carried  through  his  contract  with  the  Trans- 
continental Telegraph  Company  when  they  were 
laying  the  line  between  Blantyre  and  Zomba  and 
lately  he  has  taken  a large  quantity  of  the  Messrs. 
Buchanans’  coffee  from  Zomba  to  Michiru.  Such 
work  as  Mr.  Morkel’s  deserves  every  encouragement 
as  it  sets  free  much  needed  labour  for  plantation  and 
other  work. 
A COFFEE  EXPEBT. 
The  African  Lakes’  Corporation  deserve  the  thanks 
of  the  planting  community  for  the  latest  fruit  of 
their  enterprise— Mr.  J.  B.  Ferguson  of  Coorg,  S. 
India.  Mr.  Ferguson  has  been  appointed  to  visit 
the  various  coffee  plant-ations  and  Lo  report  on  the 
p>rospects  of  the  coffee-planting  industry.  We  are 
sure  planters  all  over  the  country  will  give  Mr. 
Ferguson  a warm  welcome  and  we  trust  they  will 
not  be  backward  in  stating  their  difficulties  as  only 
thus  can  we  hope  lor  much  good  from  Mr.  I'org  i- 
Bons’  visit.  We  are  glad  to  see  that  the ‘‘Ca  Giiber” 
accorded  him  a warm  welcome  and  we  are  s ire  that 
in  his  journeys  he  will  fi  id  the  B.C..'V.  Planters^as 
hospitable  as  those  of  any  other  country.  So  far, 
we  understand,  Mr.  Ferguson’s  opinion  of  our  indus- 
try here  is  a very  favourable  one.  Ho  advocates 
shade  and  manure,  the  former,  native  fig  trees  or 
the  Indian  Banian  tree;  and  iho  latter,  bonolust 
and  poonac.  We  understand  bis  opinion  of  Pride 
of  India  as  a shade-tree  is  very  low. — Centi-al  African 
rtanter  for  October. 
SUGAl!  AND  TFA. 
VIEWS  OF  XATAL  OUOWEllS  : ON  VARIOUS  POINTS. 
“ We  don’t  rub  sboulders  enough  with  each  other” 
was  the  observation  of  a ])lanter,  after  a long  and 
discursive  chat,  the  remark  being  prompted  by  the 
interchange  of  views  on  vaiious  topics,  during  which 
each  taking  part  in  the  discussions  saw  matters  more 
cleaily  from  his  neighbour’s  standpoint.  During  my 
visit  to  the  Nortli  Coast  I had  talks  on  many  matters, 
and  afterwards  I regretted  that  I had  not  taken 
note  of  many  of  the  points  advanced.  It  is  impossible 
to  remember  all  just  now,  but  I purpose  to  give  off 
various  “ ideas  ” as  they  will  submit  themselves  to 
my  pen.  Of  course,  the  Indian  question  served  as 
a fertile  topic,  and  the  views  of  planters  thereon  can- 
not fail  to  be  of  value.  They  warmly  assert  that 
the  coolie  has  been  the  greatest  blessing  this  country 
ever  had,  for  without  him  Natal  would  have  stag- 
nated. As  may  be  expected,  they  resent  as  unjusti- 
fiable the  bitter  opposition  manifested  in  Dur- 
ban to  the  coolie,  not,  be  it  remarked — for  I did 
not  hear  a single  word  in  that  respect — the  opposi- 
tion to  the  iutioductioii  of  the  astisau.  It  was  pointed 
out  that  until  wo  got  railways,  Durban  largely 
depended  upon  the  coast  sugar  industrie.s,  and 
the  merchants  and  tradesmen  were  tlieii  only 
too  pleased  ti  compete  for  and  get  the  business 
resulting  from  them.  And  even  now,  it  is  asserted, 
Durban  and  adjoining  towns  and  villages  profit 
hugely.  As  the  result  of  the  labours  of  tiie  Indians 
on  the  estates,  about  f8J,00t)  per  aniiuiii  is  obtained 
from  the  soil.  This  is  disiributed  in  varioin  w'ays. 
Supplies  are  drawn  tor  the  feeding  of  the  Indians, 
there  is  transport  requiring  wagons  to  be  made, 
machinery  and  appliances  have  to  be  purcliased  and 
repaired,  building  aud  other  materials  are  necessary, 
ironmongery  is  an  important  item,  managers  and 
assistants  havo  special  needs,  their  houses  have  to  be 
furnished,  they  and  their  families  have  to  be  fed  and 
clothed,  tiieir  horso.i  require  harness,  their  carriages 
need  repairing  from  time  to  time,  and  so  on.  Over 
and  above  tlii--,  a large  amount  of  freight  is  provided 
for  the  railway,  aud  customs  also  benefit  from  imports. 
Then,  as  to  the  wages  piid  to  the  coolie  labourers. 
I vvas  informed  tint  a very  small  amjunt  com- 
parativel}’  went  out  of  the  countiy  or  was  hoarded; 
but  on  the  c nitrary,  the  money'  was  spent  in  the 
Colony.  This,  I was  assured,  wascorreite  i by  on 
plan  er,  who  informed  me  that  ho  was  banker  for  his 
Indian  employes,  and  therefore  knew  it  to  be  a 
fact.  Of  course,  it  i-j  also  argued,  tint  the 
employer  spends  largely  of  his  profits  in  success- 
ful saisons,  aud  that  the  Colony  rcapi  the  benefit. 
In  short,  it  is  contended  that  as  the  re  ult  of 
sugar,  tea,  and  other  indus'ries,  a very  large  sum 
is  annually  put  into  circulation,  and,  directly  or 
indirectly,  benefits  everybody,  it  being  maintained 
that  so  long  as  the  coolie  (and  the  wdiito  man  could 
not  yjossibiy' do  his  work)  brings  sometiiing  out  of  the 
soil  he  is  doing  the  Colony  good,  aud  gives  scop;  to 
the  merchant  and  tradesman  to  meet  requirements 
thereby  created.  Now  this  is  an  assertion  whicli  is, 
oert'iiuly  deserving  of  study  in  connection  witii  the 
arguments  for  and  against  Indian  immigrition. 
While  the  planter  strongly  maintains  that  Indiui 
labour  immenso'y  benefits  the  Colony,  he  is  equally 
at  one  with  those  who  object  to  tiie  import  iiion  of 
the  free  Iiulian.  'This,  says  the  planter,  is  the  man 
doing  the  mischief,  and  from  whom  no  re.il  benefit 
is  derivable,  and  agrees  that,  if  possible,  means  should 
be  adopted  to  check  him.  die  not  only  conipjtes, 
but  fails  to  distribute  his  profits  in  the  Colony.  In 
connection  with  the  free  Indian  imports,  I m ly 
mention  an  important  feature  which  oime  to  my 
knowledge.  'Those  agents  who  are  importing  ihsse 
men  aro  actually  offering  them  as  labouiers  to  the 
planters,  at  a loss  rate  aud  at  lower  wagei  th  lU  have 
to  be  paid  for  those  olit.iiiioJ  t iiough  tin  Indian 
Immigration  Department.  'Thus  it  will  bo  seen  that 
by  private  enterprise  Indian  labourers  are  being 
brought  to  this  Colony  in  competition  witli  the 
official  department.  'They  aro  offered  to  the  p.aiiters 
on  an  agreement  for  a cert. tin  number  of  years, 
such  agreement  to  bo  ratified  before  a magistrate. 
