a possibility of developing irrigation in certain sections, but this has not been done as yet. There are a number of fiber plants which are used for making native ropes.

There is a large number of cattle, but no census has ever been taken. The herds are prized as an evidence of wealth and the natives hesitate to kill them for their hides. Nevertheless, hides have always been among the chief exports. The bulk of the hide exports in 1923 went to Great Britain. In 1917 a plague identified as pleuropneumonia carried off 80 per cent of the cattle in the South Bank Province and in 1923 the same plague devastated the herds of the North Bank Province. There is abundant pasturage for cattle. Sheep and goats are kept in small numbers in most districts and fowls may be found in every village. Ponies are fairly numerous at distances away from the river, but donkeys are generally preferred for transportation.

There are no trees of commercial importance accessible for felling for export. Gambian mahogany and rosewood occur in many inaccessible parts of the country, however. There is an abundance of edible fish in the lower river. A thorough survey of the mineral wealth of the territory has not been made, though deposits of iron, ochres, and china clay have been reported. In general, there are too many impurities to make them of value commercially. In the line of manufacturing the colony has not advanced much beyond the domestic stage. A good deal of boat building and repairing goes on; native cloth is woven on primitive looms; pottery is made; goatskins are tanned and made into saddles, slippers, bags, sandals, etc.; and beads and dyed-grass ornaments are made. Nearly the whole population is engaged in agriculture.

FINANCE

A special West African silver currency was introduced in 1913, with denominations of 2s., 1s., 6d., and 3d. These coins, with reserves in London, are under the control of the West African Currency Board. Up to 1922 the French 5-franc piece was in wide circulation, largely because of its use by the "strange farmers" from French Senegal, but it was demonetized in 1922. About £118,000 of West African currency notes are in circulation. The Bank of British West Africa and the Colonial Bank are established in Gambia. 1922 the Savings Bank had 301 depositors.

In

One of the outstanding features of Gambia's public finance is the fact that there is no public debt. The revenue of the colony is derived from customs duties on both imports and exports. The following table shows the public revenue and expenditure for recent years:

The ordinary revenue for 1923 amounted to £229,688, to which has been added the demonetization loan of £177,893; customs duties

brought in £161,877. The heavy expenditure shown for 1922 was caused by the loss of approximately £200,000 on the demonetization of the 5-franc piece.

Commercial credits in Gambia are practically the same as in other West African territories.