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although a town of 4,000 souls ten years ago — fully 150 householders are thus directly affected by the collection and delivery, each fortnight, of this "impôt en nature," and are affected for the great majority of the days throughout the year.
Since for the 6 tons of gum-copal which the 150 householders of Montaka contribute annually, they are seen to receive not more than a total payment of 10l. in the year — viz., 26 fortnightly payments of, on an average, say 9 fr. 50 c., giving 247 fr. annually — it follows that the remuneration each adult householder of Montaka receives for his entire year's work is the one hundred and fiftieth part of that total-or just 1s. 4d. This is just the value of an adult fowl in Montaka. I bought ten fowls, or chickens rather, the morning of my going away, and for the only reasonably sized one among them I gave 30 rods (1 fr. 50 c.), the others, small fledglings, ranging from 15 to 20 rods each (75 cents. to 1 fr.).
The 6½ tons of gum-copal supplied annually by these 150 householders being valued at about 364l., it follows that each householder had contributed something like 2l. 8s. per annum in kind.
The labour involved may or may not be unduly excessive — but it is continuous throughout the year — each man must stay in his town and be prepared each week and fortnight to have his contribution ready under fear of summary punishment.
The natives engaged as workmen on my steamer were paid each a sum of 20 rods (1 fr.) per week for food rations only, and 100 rods (5 fr.) per month wages. One of these native workmen thus earned more in one week of my service — which was that, of any other private establishment employing ordinary labour — than the Montaka householder got in an entire year for his compulsory public service rendered to the Government.
At other villages which I visited, I found the tax to consist of baskets, which the inhabitants had to make and deliver weekly as well as, always, a certain amount of food-stuffs — either kwanga or fish. These baskets are used at Bikoro in packing up the gum-copal for conveyance down the river and to Europe — the river transport being effected by Government steamers. The basket-makers and other workers complained that they were sometimes remunerated for their labour with reels of sewing cotton and shirt buttons (of which they had no use) when supplies of cloth or brass wire ran short at Bikoro.
As these natives go almost entirely naked, I could believe that neither thread or shirt buttons were of much service to them. They also averred that they were frequently flogged for delay or inability to complete the tale of these baskets, or the weekly supply of food. Several men, including a Chief of one town, showed broad weals across their buttocks, which were evidently recent. One, a lad of 15 or so, removing his cloth, showed several scars across his thighs, which he and others around him said had formed part of a weekly payment for a recent shortage in their supply of food. That these statements were not all untrue was confirmed by my visit to P* when the "domaine privé" store was shown to me. It had very little in it, and I learned that the barter stock of goods had not been replenished for some time. There appeared to be from 200 to 300 pieces of coarse cotton cloth, and nothing else, and as the cloth was visibly old, I estimated the value of the entire stock at possibly 15l. It certainly would not have fetched more if put up to auction in any part of the Upper Congo.
The instructions regulating the remuneration of the native contributors and the mode of exploitation of the "forêts domaniales" were issued in the "Bulletin Officiel" of 1896, under authority of Decrees dated the 30th October and the 5th December, 1892.
These general instructions require that: —
"L'exploitation se fait par les agents de l'Intendance, sous la direction du Commissaire de District.
"Tout ce qui se rapporte à l'exploitation du domaine privé doit être séparé nettement des autres services gouvernementaux.
"Les agents préposés à l'exploitation du domaine privé consacrent tous leurs soins au développement de la récolte du caoutchouc et des autres produits de la forêt.
"Quel que soit le mode d'exploitation adopté à cet effet, ils sont tenus d'accorder aux indigènes une rémunération qui ne sera en aucun cas inférieure au montant du prix de la main-d'œuvre nécessaire à la récolte du produit; cette rémunération est fixée par le Commissaire de District, qui soumet son tarif à l'approbation du Gouverneur-Général.
"L'Inspecteur d'État en mission vérifie si ce tarif est en rapport avec le prix de la main-d'œuvre; il veille à sa stricte application, et il examine si les conditions générales d'exploitation ne donnent lieu à aucune plainte justifiée.
