CONCERNING NYASSALAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2895, 8 September 1909, Page 33

CONCERNING NYASSALAND.

NEW ZEALAND GEOLOGIST'S EXPERIENCES. There returned to Dunedin the other day a young geologist who had spent some two years studying in Britain, and another two years and a-half in making a geological survey of Nyassaland. It is something over five years since Mr Arthur R. Andrew, then a student at Otago University, won the 1851 scholarship (open to the whole of the students of the New Zealand Univeisity), and decided to spend the two years and £300 at his disposal in attending the classes of Professors Lapworth and Watts at Birmingham University. completed his course, he was selected by the Colonial Office to make a survey of the mineral resources of Nyassaland, and he was engaged for two years and a-half on this work. Since leaving Africa he was six months in Biitain, and ne arrived in Wellington by the Moana on the 22nd ult. Mr Andrew was interviewed in Wellington, and a telegraphed account of many interesting statements he then made appeared in this paper recently. In conversation with a Daily Times reporter, however, Mr Andrew had something else to cay that was equally interesting. GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES. The country over which* Mr Andrew -conducted his survey is about the size of New Zealand, and is mostly plateau, sparsely timbered, of an average height of 3000 ft above sea level. Certain parts of the country — also plateau — are much higher, and are grass-covered. . Eight thousand feet "above sea level is "about the height of these. There is a large tract of low-lying jungle country near the lake and river. The population numbers about 1,500,000 blacks and 500 whites— the latter being down near the south end of the country, nearest the coast. MINERALS DISCOVERED. Quite a number of mineral deposits were examined. Iron is present in the country in abundance, and has been used by the natives in making knives, etc., for generations. Fairly extensive coal fields were located, and graphite, lead, silver, mica, and gold were discovered, lhe last-named in small quantities. The coal was found in the northern part of the country, where its presence had pot hitherto been _ suspected, as well as in the south, and it is of excellent quality. But at present, v even if those minerals were present in payable quantities, it was impossible to work thorn owing almost entirely to the cost of freight. xVnyone sending away ore or bringing in stores %vould bp at tremendous expense, as the tsetse fly killed all animals of burden, and the river was only available for carriage purposes over a portion of its length owing to the many portages that wero encountered in its upper reaches. The chances were that, as science found means to combat the insects and diseases of that region, and the resources of the country became more widely recognised, it would gradually open u» of its own accord, and increasing settlement would furnish better means of transport. CAPE TO CAIRO RAILWAY. The Cape- to Cairo railway passed ■ Nyasaaland 600 miles away to the westward, and was practically of no value to the country in which Mr Andrew had been. The- railway was being pushed ahead rapidly from the southern section, but it would be years before the Cape and Egypt were actually in communication by means of the iron road. As it was today, however, it was an important factor in the development of great tracts of country, and was at present serving to open up the Tanganyika country. Later on, doubtless, it would be similarly of use to the Congo territory, which nlso awaited developmpnt. BRITISH TENTACLES. " The Colonial Office," said Mr Andrew, " is very much alive to the necessity of having " geological surveys made of all newly-acquired protectorates, evidently believing that mone-y spent in this way will be repaid to the "British Crown in other ways in years to come. Thue Nyassaland has only been a British 'protectorate for some 10 years, and, being yet in a partially undeveloped state, probably does not produce more than £80.000 a year. But some thousand were unhesitatingly spent on a mineral survey, with the result that any man desiring to invest his money in the country may. by application to the Colonial Office, have placed at his disposal all the information regarding Nyassaland that a preliminary survey such as that referred to can give. Geological surveys of the game kind aTe now proceeding in the Niger ia.n protectorates, in Ceylon, and in East Africa. — work the value of which must be apparent to everyone, and cannot be over-emphasised. " PRESERVING THE ELEPHANT. I All kinds of animals are to be found in j NyassaJand, and there are so many of then there' that game-shooting is practically tH« only sport. Thea-e are still big herds of elephants in the country, but wholesale shooting and the depredations of ivory-hunters in the past have greatly lessened their numbers. The slaughter of elephants for the cake of their tusk 6 still goc«s on, unfortunately, but not in British or Gorman territory. The game regulations of those two countries very strictly forbid any man to shcot more than a certain in umber of elephaivts. Certain tracts of country are s&t aside n<? elephant reserves, and any man caught killing the animals within those boundaries is mulcted in a heavy fine. But in the notorious Belgian Congo unrestricted killing of ek>pharvte is permitted, with the result that the bulk of African ivon com«s fro.li that territory. Of cours°. it is only a question of time before tin* elephant will dieimpa-ir from that part of Africa altogether MiAndrew did some ehootins: in Nyns=alanrl, and altogether " bag.ged " five elephants, besides smaller game. He had one rather exciting experience while in quest of elephants. He came upon a herd, and in attempting to get a favourable shot was sighted by one of the cow elephants, and she signified her extreme displeasure by charging down upon him. Mr Andrew did not want her — she was 6mall and her tusks were valueless — but his hand was, so to speak, forced. He knew that if he fired acid missed, h© would not only sta.mpede the herd, but ako had a very fair chance of falling •within reach of the onraged femalo leviathan. So ho waited until the beast was within eighteen fec-t of him. and s-cured a "-cod aim, before '"pulling off" his gun. The moment was an anxious one, but the bullet found its mark, and the elephant swerved aside and fell dead. A man takes many risks in Africa— disease Icov'jd riveis, snakee, in-

sects, animals — but the dangers are more apparent to one far away from the Dark Continent, than to" the man living there. NEW ZEALAND'S POTENTIALITIES. Mr Andrew believes enthusiastically in the value of mineral surveys, and has obviously a strong turn for economic geolcgy. He believes that a great deal might be done in this directon in New Zealand. " I was much interested," he said, " in the geological survey of portions of New Zealand carried out under Dr Bell, which had been instituted sine© I left New Zealand ; and I was struck with the success that attended their investigations on the West Coast and in the South Island— the latter place particularly — in jegard to the mineral resources of those districts. It seems to me that Central Otago deserves special attention in this connection. I do not know what work is being done there at present, but I have little doubt, knowing as I do the minerals that are in Central Otago, that a proper geological survey would nave satisfactory and far reaching results. The preliminary work was done by Sir James Heotor a. ereat many years ago, and wihat is wanted now is the careful, detailed, scientific mapping of tho whole area — a work that would occupy some years, but which, I am convinced, would not fail of . repaying the country for any expenditure made on its account."