The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1929. A PROBLEM OF EMPIRE.

Hokitika Guardian, 26 January 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. SATURDAY, JANUARY 26, 1929. A PROBLEM OF EMPIRE.

A remarkable development of the British Imperial system is taking place in Hast Africa, in that part of the Dark Continent Britain rules over a great region of 700,1)00 square miles in extent. One of the great problems ol Empire which our statesmen have to lace is the government of relatively uncivilised and undeveloped territories inhabited cliietly by. semi-barbarous peoples. In least Africa, where there are collectively millions of natives and a mere handful of Europeans, the problem is complicated by the presence ol sc res of thousands of Asiatics who have migrated chiefly from India. In some way this conflict of rights must be adjusted with due regard to Britain’s Imperial interests and the welfare of the natives. For some time past a Royal Commission has been investigating the affairs of these equatorial regions, and it has now issued a report dealing with Kenya, the original East African Protectorate, with Uganda. the native kingdom now under British control, and with Tanganyika, which is German East Africa now held by Britain as a mandated territory. Ti is proposed that over a‘ll these regions a High Commissioner should be appointed, with executive powers. To this official is delegated the responsibility of deciding “how the black race and the white race could best live and work together without injustice to each other.” When this question is once answered, the High Commissioner is to be replaced by a Governor-General, who will supervise in detail the working of the new administrative policy. Ho is to be assisted by a Commission, and eventually by a nominated Legislative Council. But there is no intention of conferring responsible government on British East Africa. The chief reason for the specially narrow and exclusive form of government devised for this region is I lie conviction of the cMiiniissioners .that “the territories in East Africa as a whole can never be white men’s countries.” It is quite possible for European farmers and settlers to live and thrive on the uplands at 5000 ft. or OOfOl't. above sonlevel even on the equatorial line. But gVnorally speaking, the overwhelming majority of tli population will ho of coloured race. African and Asiatic, and there is no sound logical basis for the assumption that because democratic institutions aro beneficial to European peoples they are equally indispensable fer relatively unprogressive races. As subjects of the Empire, the people of East Africa will pay no tribute to Britain, they will he protected if necessary by her armies and fleets, they will have the benefits of law and order enforced by her authority, and they will be infinitely safer and . happier than if they possessed a “freedom” which they could neither understand nor enjoy.