Ground-Nut Scheme
p. 72 · Read in the full issue
Further Disaster For African
THE economic disaster which has be fallen the British Socialists’ plan to grow ground-nuts in Africa —on which nearly £30,000,000 has already been spent—has now been added to by Nature.
The ghastly losses already incurred are the result of the muddling and inefficiency which are typical of almost any Socialist enterprise. But now, on top of this, comes one of the worst droughts ever known in Africa’s history. Water is so scarce that there is not enough for the railway en gines. Special trains have had to be put on to carry famine relief to the 600 Euro peans and the 5,500 Africans who are en gaged on the ground-nut scheme at Urambo. Added to this, there has been an acute shortage of petrol, which has caused widespread disorganisation.
This is a summary of reports from East Africa, published in the London papers at the end of December.