Africa

South And East

And Ground Nuts

From a Special Correspondent riOUTH AFRICA is a wonderul country, 3 but lam afraid there are many “buts.” If you are interested in con litions here, I recommend two books— ‘The Beloved Country,” by Allan Baton, ind “Kaffirs are Lively,” by Oliver talker.

Inter-racial feeling is rampant and fear .unrecognised as such) of the natives is iniversal.

Smuts, in his own country, is not the lopular hero that he is when out of it. le is an Empire Statesman of the first rater, but this carries no weight in his >wn country.

I did not see the Rhodesias—only the lastern district of Southern Rhodesia. :hat is a lovely country.

One heard a good deal of talk about he two Rhodesias joining with Nyassa md to form a Dominion. Doubtless, that ventually will take place, but there are ome difficulties yet to be surmounted. )ne is that the native policies of the hree areas differ fundamentally, and an ther is that Southern Rhodesia, being he wealthiest of the three, is a little shy f accepting the responsibility of carry ig the baby.

Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika should >mbine and form another Dominion. Let s hope they will. Tanganyika is to the Dre at present—but do not take too much otice of what you hear concerning the Iround Nut Scheme. There is much lore to it than that. (The Ground Nut Scheme, to which our Direspondent refers, is of direct interest ) the Pacific Islands. The British plan ) produce almost incalculable quantities f peanuts in East Africa was formulated ) take care of a world shortage of vege ible oils—a shortage that has kept the rice of copra very high since the end I World War 11. Some students of the orld’s vegetable oil situation expect the rice of copra to fall steadily, as the East frican ground-nuts come to market, ut information from many sources in icates that the African ground-nut pro nction scheme is suffering all the usual labilities of Socialistic planning— tuddle and delay in implementation, and lormous costs, making the ultimate pro uct of little economic use. The British ocialist Government already has spent lany millions of pounds on the African round Nut Scheme, but even its best iends have not yet been able to acclaim s success. In theory it was a good plan -and it might have proved so in prac ce had it not had placed upon it the ight of Socialistic operation. The copra 'oducers of the Pacific need not begin to orry, just yet.) Mr, A. Wilson, the Administrator of Nor >lk Island, with Mrs. Wilson, recently ft the island for NSW and Victoria on inual leave.

Commander William Burrows, lately of iji, went on to London recently from 3Uth Africa and Rhodesia, where he >ent several months. He has lost the ?ht of one eye, and he went to London 1 obtain expert opinion about the condi gn of his other eye. Expert opinion, )wever, was reassuring. Commander arrows is at present engaged in writing book connected with the experiences of s YF y iHteresting life; but indications ’e that he will soon return to Fiji.