CORRESPONDENCE respecting the Affairs of the CongoOctober 1910 to August 1911.*

SIR,

Acting Consul Campbell to Sir Edward Grey.

Boma, October 25, 1910.

I HAVE the honour to transmit to you herewith a memorandum on the general situation in the Congo State, dealing principally with the treatment of the natives and the question of free trade under the Decrees issued in conformity with the Belgian Government's programme of reforms.

I have, &c.

GERALD CAMPBELL.

(Inclosure.)-Memorandum on the Treatment of the Natives and the Question of Free Trade under the Decrees issued in conformity with the Belgian Government's Programme of Reforms in the Administration of the Congo State.

WITH a few exceptions missionaries and traders alike report that the treatment which the natives in the interior are receiving at the hands of the State officials has perceptibly improved. These reports have been received since the reform decrees came into force on the 1st July last, whereas the incidents which have compelled me to qualify slightly the above statement occurred previously to that date; inquiries are, moreover, being held into such occurrences as have come to the knowledge of the Government. There are signs that the former régime, to the continuance of which such incidents may be attributed, is undergoing a radical change, and that it is the wish of the Government that the new Decrees which aim at the betterment of the condition of the natives shall be sincerely interpreted. It is inevitable, however, that misgivings should arise so long as the system of forced labour is perpetuated in certain districts, and personally I am at a loss to understand why it is not possible to abolish that system throughout the entire country during the course of 1911. The Colonial Minister declared that delay was necessary in the interests of the State, the natives, and commerce, but as regards the interests of the latter, the Uele district, which remains closed till the 1st July, 1912, is not only comparatively well populated with natives of a greater intelligence than is generally found in the Congo, who, long accustomed to trade with the Arabs, can well hold their own against all merchants, but it is rich in those products which attract traders to this country. Moreover, more caravan routes exist in the Uele than elsewhere, and the number

From Parliamentary Paper," Africa No. 2 (1911).”

of Government posts established would compare favourably with other parts of the State. The delay is therefore to be considered as necessary, not in the interests of the natives and commerce, but of the State, who would certainly have had a difficult task to perform in introducing a radical change in so vast a territory in a few months. Three-fifths of the country have nevertheless benefited from the reforms, and the reason why one year instead of two does not suffice to complete the work is not plain, unless it be that the budget would suffer were the change too abrupt. This is tantamount to saying that Belgium prefers to continue to derive an income from forced labour rather than have recourse to the measure which would best serve "the interests of the State, the natives, and commerce," namely, a grant-in-aid. Meanwhile, it is satisfactory to learn that, in the area now open to trade, the natives are evidently regaining their liberty, under the faithful interpretation of the decrees granting them the right to sell the rubber which they gather, without, it is true, actually allowing them their rights in the land, and ordaining the payment of a moderate tax in money. Annex 1 shows the amount of the tax in money to be demanded of the natives for the year 1911 in those districts which are open to trade. I have been able to glance at a copy of the instructions issued to the officials relative to the decree of the 2nd May, 1910, on the "Impôt indigène"; they appeared to be reasonable, and to counsel moderation in the collection of the tax in money. The tax in kind continues in the other zones until the dates on which they are to be opened, but it is not possible, without travelling in the actual region, to know whether the natives are being taxed fairly or not. In the Uele the produce tax for this year varies from to 1 kilog. of rubber in the Uere-Bili zone, to 2 kilog. in the Bomakandi zone, and 1 to 2 kilog. in the Rubi zone. In the following table the shipments of rubber from the Domaine national during June, July, and August, 1908, i.., before annexation, are given in the one column, and, in the other, shipments for the same three months of this year::

The total amounts shipped in the five steamers were 1,312,351 kilog. in 1908 and 1,038,432 kilog. in 1910.

Nothing can be deduced from these figures as to the working of the reform scheme. The rubber shipped by those steamers represents the taxes paid in by the natives during the first three months of the year, or even at an earlier period. On receiving the rubber from the natives it is usual to leave it for some weeks in the drying sheds, and it does not leave the State post until after three months, on an average. In many cases it has then to be carried by porters, or in canoes, to the nearest steamer, and thence to the main river for transport to Leopoldville and Matadi, where the Antwerp steamers load. Consequently from four to five months, and often more, since delays are frequent, elapse between the gathering and the shipping at Matadi. The only points which these figures tend to prove is that the difference in the amounts exported before and after annexation of the Congo by Belgium is not so great as might have been expected, and that the statements of those who reported the continuation of the Independent State system under Belgian rule, even as late as January last, were evidently accurate. The change which should occur as a result of the introduction of the new system will not be apparent before the beginning of next year, and the probable decrease may be calculated from the fact that the tax in the areas now open to trade produced during the year 1909 about 750 tons of fresh rubber out of a total of 1,945 tons. It will be noticed in this connection that the Colonial Minister estimated that the "vente de produits du domaine, impôts en nature, produits récoltés" would bring in 14,127,500 fr. in 1910, as against 16,881,825 fr. in 1909. It will be interesting to see what the estimate will be in next year's budget.

Turning to the Decrees which have been issued in conformity with the reform scheme, I would first draw attention to the increase in the salaries of the State officials (who must in future buy their own provisions), the grant of pensions, and the alteration of the term of service from three years to two. The salaries range from a minimum of 2401. for a clerk of the lowest grade to 8001. for a commissaire général. These remarks, which would appear trivial, deal in reality with a question of paramount importance, since it is useless to discuss the decrees unless, under improved conditions of service, educated men of a better stamp are forthcoming as officials, and the majority of those who have lost the confidence of the natives and who are imbued so deeply with the principles of the old commercial system, disappear from a scene where they will be of little use as sound administrators.

Chefferies indigènes.

By the Decree of the 6th June, 1906, each native was placed under the control of a chief, who was responsible to the State,

not only for the maintenance of order in a circumscribed area, but also for the collection of the rubber tax. The authority of most of the hereditary chiefs had unfortunately been undermined by the agents of the State and the concessionary companies as a direct result of the system of ruthless exploitation, and even those chiefs who were still able to boast of a vestige of authority were rarely willing to force their own men to spend fifteen to twenty-five days monthly in satisfying the demands of the State. Thus it was found necessary in many cases to appoint as chiefs upstarts who had no qualifications beyond the fact that their lack of sympathy with their vassals made them excellent collectors of rubber; nor were they reprimanded for their corrupt administration of justice, or for the frauds which they perpetrated on the natives, or even for their impudent and disrespectful behaviour towards the Europeans, since rubber has been the only cry of the last fifteen years, and the Congo existed for nothing else. I could, if necessary, give instances of the dealings of these chiefs, but this memorandum treats of the present and the future rather than the past. I could not avoid a reference to the subject, however, since the Decree of the 2nd May, 1910, is a waste of time and paper if these bullies are retained in office or if more of the same type are appointed. The words of the Colonial Minister are reassuring: "Le principe dont s'inspire le projet de décret est de faire administrer le nègre par son chef légitime et de respecter la coutume dans ce qu'elle a de conciliable avec l'intérêt public et avec le droit supérieur de la civilisation."

Briefly, the Decree ordains that the natives are formed into groups under sub-chiefs and chiefs appointed in accordance with native custom, or by the district commissioner, who consults the wishes of the natives. Messengers are attached to each group who will act as "huissiers," to use the term employed by the Colonial Minister in his definition of their duties. They will be armed with cap guns, but I think that most of them are now aware that they must not abuse this privilege. The chiefs, subchiefs, and messengers will receive salaries from the Government. The chiefs will administer their circumscribed areas under the direction of the European officials, and the right of appeal to the State courts is allowed to the native against a sentence passed by the chief or sub-chief. They will help in the collection of taxes and in the levy of recruits for the army. The "chicotte" is allowed as punishment for men only, with a maximum of twelve strokes, and a prison is to be kept in the chief's village for those condemned to imprisonment or detention.

The native who wishes to migrate must obtain a passport from the "chef de poste," who consults the wishes of the chief or sub-chief before granting it. Refusal to grant a passport must be reported to the district commissioner. The members of a group must keep their villages clean, look after the roads and bridges, build a school and a house for the State official in the chief's village, &c. They will be paid for the latter services, on

which they may not be employed for more than sixteen hours a month.

The decree has the merit of making clear what can and what cannot be done; but, as will be seen, much depends on the men who are selected as chiefs and sub-chiefs, and, it is necessary to add, on the European to whom they are responsible. An upstart or outsider will abuse the power to "chicotte" and imprison (punishments which are not in accordance with the native custom on which so much stress is laid), and if he wants another man's wife he will merely shut him up in the local gaol. My experience has been that the natives are afraid to appeal to the officials against the actions of their chief, and they complained that if they did so the white man referred them back to the very chief whom they were accusing, and who was delighted to take his revenge.

Labour Contracts.

The Decree of the 17th August, 1910,* lays down the conditions to be observed in the recruiting of labour and in the contracts entered into between Congolese or natives of neighbouring colonies and employers other than Congolese. It is important to note that it embraces natives of neighbouring colonies, since coloured British subjects are not infrequently swindled by unscrupulous employers, and they have rarely obtained justice or redress in the past owing to the absence of a legal contract or from some other cause. All adults, whether they have attained their majority (16 years of age) or not, may be engaged, but a woman must have the expressed or tacit consent of her husband. Should he refuse, a Magistrate or an official designated by the Governor-General can overrule his objection. The term of service may not exceed three years, whereas formerly the limit was seven years; wages must be paid in money, and the labourer has the right to be repatriated to the district where the contract was made. The obligations of the master are clearly set forth, as are also the conditions under which the contract may be rescinded by either party before expiry of the term. Every contract for a term exceeding three months must be viséed, and the Magistrate shall see that the workman understands the terms of his agreement. The visa costs 1 fr. per man, with a maximum of 10 fr. if several natives are included in one contract. The workman who is not lodged and fed by the employer should be paid weekly, and fines should not exceed one quarter of the amount of the day's wage.

In order to recruit labour a permit is necessary. This is granted gratuitously, but it may be suspended or refused.

It is too early yet to form any idea of the working of either this decree or of that dealing with the native "chefferies," and in the latter case no real opinion can be expressed until after a tour among the natives themselves.