Twenty Millions for West African

Cocoa-Growers

WEST AFRICAN cocoa is grown mostly by natives who (note it carefully, Mr. Ward!) have been taught, in the course of about four generations, to become peasant farmers. In the past three years or so, their cocoa has been bought, under Government supervision, by the West African Produce Control Board. American speculators have pushed the price of cocoa-beans up and up, and

the Produce Board got world parity for its accumulated stock. The net result was that the stocks realised £20,000,000 sterling more than was paid to the cocoa growers who, for their part, were quite happy about what they had received.

Britain has decided to put the £20,000,000 in trust for the benefit of the West African natives who grew the cocoa.

It is to be used “to s6rve as a cushion against short and intermediate price fluctuations, and for such purposes as re search, disease eradication and rehabil itation.”