Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/248

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

196 THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — NYASALAND PROTECTORATE

Direct imports from Great Britain, 1915-16, 167,669?.; 1916-17, 285,894/.; in 1917-18, 197,201*. ; in 1918-19,328,902*. ; in 1919-20, 370,704*.; direct exports thereto, 202,877*. in 1915-16 ; 286,335*. in 1916-17 ; 132,402*. in 1917-18 ; 482,055*. in 1918-19.; 391,102*. in 1919-20.

The imports (1919-20) consist chiefly of manufactured articles (408,477*.), provisions (82,479*.), raw materials (30,279*.); the principal exports are tobacco (309,979*.), cotton (65,878*.), tea (33,479*.).

The revenue is derived from Customs (62,582*. in 1918-19), licences (6,037*.), land tax (8,006*.), &c, and from a hut-tax, yielding in 1915-16, 76,679*.; in 1916-17, 78,478*. ; in 191 7-18, 75,448*. ; and in 1918-19, 79,304*.

Public debt, March 31, 1919, 3,190,800*., including 2,998,000*. War advances.

There are military, volunteer reserve, and civil police forces. A European police force is being created (1920). There is a Marine Transport Depart- ment on the Upper Shire River and on Lake Nyasa, consisting of three vessels. For ordinary traffic there are small steamers, besides small sailing vessels.

There is communication with the coast at Chinde by river steamers. Chinde is situated on the only navigable mouth of the Zambezi, and the Portuguese Government has granted a small piece of land, called the ' British Concession,' where goods in transit for British Central Africa are free of customs duty, and in addition a large area for residential purposes styled ' the Extra Concession. '

There are 27 post offices through which, in 1915-16, 2,174,405 postal packets passed. A postal savings bank was opened on July 1, 1911. Depositors at end of 1918, 522; deposits, 14,490*. A railway, of 3 ft. 6 in. gauge, from Chinde on the Zambezi in Portuguese East Africa to Blantyre has been constructed (174 miles) and an extension made to the Zambezi River. A railway thence to the Port of Beira in Portuguese East Africa is to be constructed. There is a telegraph line through the Protectorate to Tanganyika and Ujiji connecting with Cape Town, with a branch to Fort Jameson. At Zomba there is a water-power electric light installation which provides for the whole settlement.

At Blantyre and Zomba there are branches of the Standard Bank of South Africa and of the National Bank of South Africa. The currency consists of British coin, gold, silver, and bronie. There is no note circulation.

Governor and Comviander-in-Chief. — Sir George Smith, K.C.M.G.

Chief Secretary. — R. S. D. Rankine, C.M.G.

References.

Colonial Office Reports on Nyasaland Protectorate.

Nyasaland Handbook. Published by Messrs. Wyman it Sons, London.

Precis of Information concerning the British Central Africa Protectorate. By C. B. Vyvyan. London, 1 '.Hi I.

Caddick (Helen), A White Woman in Central Africa. London, 1900.

Duff (H. L.), Nyasaland under the Foreign Office. 2nd ed. London, 1906.

Foa (B.), Da Cap au Lac Nyasse. Paris, 1807.

Johntton (Sir H. U.), British Central Africa. London, 1897.

Keltie(J. Scott), The Partition of Africa. 2ndedition. London,189*.

Moore (J. H. S.), The Tanganyika Problem. London, 1903.

Ortroc(F. Van), Convent inns intci nationales concernautl'Afrique. Brussels, 1898.

Rankin (D. J.), The Zambezi Basin and Nyasaland. London, 1893.

Sharju (Sir Alfred), The Geography and Economic Development of British Central Africa. Geographical Journal. January, I.'

Simpton (Samuel), lit port on the Cotton-growing Industry in British Central Africa Protectorate. London, 1900. .