152 
Forest Flora of Portuguese East Africa. 
owing to the practical exhaustion of the supply, and the danger of clearing out what seeding trees remain. I think action should go further, as very large areas are meantime 
practically cleared of everything except the white mangrove (useless for this purpose), and I think these should be stocked with seed of the red mangrove, even at considerable 
cost, with a view to a large future revenue. No tree costs so little for preparation of land or for planting ; it is of rapid growth, and its propagation would replace a product of 
little value by one in demand. 
"A Light Tramway required . — A light tramway from Bijon to Arenga (say 50 miles) with feeders along the ridges, and worked by native labour only, consequently 
requiring little ballasting and light bridges, appears to me to be the method by which this district can be opened up, as that affords a means of removing timber and other 
produce with light works, and without imposing a prohibitive cost. 
“The trees and timbers will be dealt with in a separate report ; suffice it meantime to say that they are worth a better fate than to be burned out, and should be a source 
of wealth to the province. The district will some day be one of the large producing districts of the world ; when that time will come will depend on the action taken now or 
soon in regard to opening the district for industrial purposes, and to me it appears that that development should be taken in hand at once. 
“I have to express my thanks to the Administrator, Snr. Milicia, for having personally shown me over his district, visiting with me Maquerine, Arenga, Bijon, Maque- 
bclla, Mulvalla, Mujcba and Macuba, each about 50 miles distant from the next. 
“I<’rom Macuba I returned through Nhemacurra to Maqueval and Quelimane, visiting at Nhemacurra the beautiful sugar plantations of Messrs. Helliard and Heimburger 
and at Malinguinc the vigorous-young sisal plantation of the Boror Company, where next year harvesting will begin.” 
FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS. 
The riches of the Province at present lie in its native population, in its forests, and in its land ; rich alluvial in places, light and sandy in others. How best to utilize 
these is the problem. The three are co-operative, their development must proceed jointly. I have already expressed my grave doubt as to the wisdom of shipping out the bone 
and muscle, the Strength and sinew, of the Province, in return for cash, especially while they are urgently wanted for local development. The argument is urged “Can the 
Province afford to do without the cash? ” My reply is that these same men, if doing an equal amount of agricultural work within the Province as they do of mining work in the 
Transvaal, would produce an export of grain, oil, rubber, sugar, fibre, &c., greater in value than the money brought into the Province directly or indirectly through the migration 
of these men. Not only so, but these operations would require as concomitants, internal development, European supervision, increased shipping, railway promotion, factory 
construction and the many other changes which aid in reducing an almost unexplored native reserve into a self-supporting, government-supporting and highly productive territory. 
The Zambesian districts require population rather than its depletion, and though the M’Chopes is well and happily populated there is room for ten times the number of producers 
if the district had a railway to move the produce. 
The development of the land in so far as the alluvial valleys are concerned is a matter for the European with his steam plough, steam harrow, mechanical cultivation, 
up-to-date machinery, mixed irrigation and dry farming, tram lines, steam boats, and general control of the situation. If to this is added a bonus on production, as happens 
meantime in regard to sugar, success is almost assured, if reasonable sea freight and reasonable coast shipping charges are in force. Meantime conditions of shipment would 
stand revision, and in regard to this as well as to timber and other industries it is necessary that producers or owners be allowed to ship in their own or hired transport if so 
inclined, without any undue handicap. The cost and restrictions on coast transport are meantime the preventives to advance in agricultural development. In the alluvial 
valleys, in so far as they are tree-clad, these trees must give place to more systematic and profitable crops, but that is no reason why they should be wasted or burned, as so often 
happens. The same holds good in regard to much of the higher, drier, and more sandy land. This land, like the alluvial, is suited for agricultural cultivation ; to allow it to be 
so utilised it must be cleared first, and on purpose to clear it there is no reason why the forest produce should be burned. Whether in the northern or southern, the tropical or 
the extra-tropical districts, the cost of shipping direct to Europe or to South Africa is pretty much alike, and with the exception of Lourenzo Marques no district has special 
advantage, except such as has its own port. Taking the Transvaal price for mining props 8-10-12-14 inches in diameter (about ^2 per ton in Johannesburg) as a basis, and 
allowing that handling and freight cost jQ 1 per ton between Lourenzo Marques harbour and Johannesburg, it follows that any profit to be derived from such transactions has to 
be made out of a price of jQ 1 per ton in Lourenzo Marques. Whether or not timber can be felled in the M’Chopes or Zambesia, and delivered with profit at Lourenzo Marques 
at that price depends on the management and freedom of trade ; similar action can be done with a large margin of profit in other parts of the world and with large and energetic 
companies and no restriction, it can be done here loo. It remains for Government to decide whether these forests shall be turned to account in the internal development of the 
