CENTRAL AFRICA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6, 7 January 1914, Page 4

CENTRAL AFRICA.

Progress is being made in Central Africa in every direction and the Administrator of Northern Rhodesia after an extended tour of the Northeastern territory, reports very favorilily on iln l conditions. The natives are no trouble ami sleeping sickness has decreased, it is understood that during tin l present: year the German railway from Dar-es-Salaam would reach Lake Tanganyika at T'jiji, and this would hrifto; that region, which is still wanting in adequate transport arrangement's, into very close touch with England., and place the remoter pai'ts of the territory within ''our days from the coast. -The Cape to Cairo railway is now at Kamhovo, <(ii) miles beyond the Victoria Falls, md !W0 miles-inside the Congo harder. A further extension of about a hundred

miles to Burame is about to ho commenced. Within a brief period there will be communication from the mouth of the Congo at Boma right across Africa to Dar-es-Salaam. During the Administrator's journey, over twelve hundred miles of which was done by bicycle, he met every chief and held large palavers at all the stations he visited. He was greatly struck by the

fact that most of the chiefs, even in the wilder regions, made eager enquiries for education. They, asked that the Government would send them teachers so that they might read and write. The Government has already, established a training school for native teachers at Lialui, and when ready they will be sent out to tin- villages, to impart primary education. Mr Wallace stated that sleeping sickness had proved to be an indirect blessing. h\ the Lulapuhi Valley over 25,000 people had been removed from sleeping sickness infection, and since then there had been no new cases. As a result of this migration model villages with streets of houses and some system of sanitation had replaced the old native kraals. The latest addition to civilisation was the Watwa tribe, people who lived like frogs in the unknown .swamps of Lake Bangweolo. These swamps were quite impregnable, and the people would not allow strangers to visit their haunts. Now they have vacated the swamps and live on dry land. They have become law-abiding, willingly pay their taxes, and even escort Government officials to their oldtime homes. In Livingstone, the capital of the territory, the mosquito problem has been practically solved. A ceaseless war has been waged against these insects with the result that they are scarcelv "ever seen.