TRADE OF NIGERIA WITH THE UNITED STATES AND COUNTRIES OTHER THAN UNITED KINGDOM AND POSSESSIONS In imports the American goods were far in excess of those from all other foreign countries together, but exports to the United States have been falling behind since 1919. The weakness in American import trade was the failure to obtain return cargoes of raw products from Nigeria. The principal items of trade between the United States and Nigeria in 1920 and 1921 were as follows: The principal imports from the United States are leaf tobacco and kerosene, which will probably be the nucleus of trade between the two countries for some time to come. By comparing the various tables one can see that the United States has lost some of the trade that was developed during the war. However, with improved shipping facilities during 1923 and 1924, an improvement can be expected in the American import trade with Nigeria. COMMUNICATIONS The development of Nigerian trade has been dependent on the opening of communications between the interior and the coast. The Nigerian Railway was constructed and is now operated by the government. The western division is made up of a main line running from Port Lagos to Kano near the northern boundary, a distance of 705 miles. Important towns on this line are Ibadan, Abeokuta, Llorin, Oshogbo, Kaduna, and Zaria, with a bridge over the Niger The principal agricultural exports during 1923 consisted of 32,817 tons of cacao, 223,074 tons of palm kernels, 98,907 tons of palm oil, 22,887 tons of peanuts, and 6,421 tons of shea nuts. The trade by articles between the United Kingdom and Nigeria for the years 1921, 1922, and 1923 is shown in the following table: The chief import items are cotton piece goods for native use, the market for which has expanded in proportion as the natives have been brought under the influence of modern civilization. Other principal imports are manufactures of iron and steel, machinery, and railway equipment, which demonstrates that Nigeria is making rapid strides toward the exploitation of her latent resources. The above table shows clearly that Nigeria depends entirely on raw product exports to pay for the imports from the industrial countries, such as Great Britain and the United States. Palm kernels and palm oil easily lead all other exports, while tin ore is next in importance. The exports of raw cotton are of particular interest because of the efforts on the part of Great Britain to find new sources to supply its great textile mills. TRADE WITH THE UNITED STATES During the period 1917-1921 the United States stood first among foreign countries (omitting United Kingdom and possessions) as regards trade with Nigeria. TRADE OF NIGERIA WITH THE UNITED STATES AND COUNTRIES OTHER THAN UNITED KINGDOM AND POSSESSIONS In imports the American goods were far in excess of those from all other foreign countries together, but exports to the United States have been falling behind since 1919. The weakness in American import trade was the failure to obtain return cargoes of raw products from Nigeria. The principal items of trade between the United States and Nigeria in 1920 and 1921 were as follows: The principal imports from the United States are leaf tobacco and kerosene, which will probably be the nucleus of trade between the two countries for some time to come. By comparing the various tables one can see that the United States has lost some of the trade that was developed during the war. However, with improved shipping facilities during 1923 and 1924, an improvement can be expected in the American import trade with Nigeria. COMMUNICATIONS The development of Nigerian trade has been dependent on the opening of communications between the interior and the coast. The Nigerian Railway was constructed and is now operated by the government. The western division is made up of a main line running from Port Lagos to Kano near the northern boundary, a distance of 705 miles. Important towns on this line are Ibadan, Abeokuta, Llorin, Oshogbo, Kaduna, and Zaria, with a bridge over the Niger River at Jebba. This main line is fed by two branch lines; one of which extends 111 miles from Minna to the port of Baro on the Niger, and the other, 143 miles from Zaria to Bukuru, in the center of a mining area. Express train service is maintained between Lagos and Kano, consuming 43 hours for the trip. The eastern division consists of one line from Port Harcourt on the Bonny estuary to Enugu in the Udi coal fields, a distance of 151 miles. At present plans are under consideration for the extension of this line 417 miles northward, crossing the Benue River at Abinsi and connecting with the western division at Kaduna, and also a 42-mile extension from the western branch at Bukuru to a point on the above extension. A section, 141 miles in length, of the first extension is due to open during 1924, thus giving direct connection from Port Harcourt to Makurdi on the Benue River. Several reductions in rates were put in operation during the course of 1922-23, and as a result the passenger revenue decreased though the number of passengers increased. General results for the years 1921-22 and 1922-23 are shown in the following table: According to a recent press notice, capital expenditure was increased to £12,872,296 during 1923-24. Gross receipts for the year were £1,653,115, which is a new record, and net receipts were £751,067, also a new high record. The proportion of working expenditure to gross receipts was 54.57. During the year 1,859,961 passengers and 459,051 tons of merchandise, exclusive of construction materials and government traffic, were carried. In addition, the Niger River and its chief tributary, the Benue, are great natural highways. The Niger is navigable by steamers of 10-foot draft as far as Jebba from July to October and the rest of the year by barges and stern-wheel steamers. There is also a service of motor lorries between such centers as Ibadan, Oyo, Ogbomosho, Oshogbo, Llesha, Bukuru, and Ropp. The government has constructed a number of wide motor roads, which may be used by light cars the year round and by heavy lorries during the dry season. The natives are beginning to buy bicycles and in some few instances motor cars, imports of which increased from 105 in 1917 to 310 in 1923. Motor cycle imports rose from 52 in 1917 to 352 in 1923, and bicycles from 1,763 in 1917 to 6,369 in 1923. The majority of these came from the United States and the United Kingdom. There are about 10,000 miles of telegraph wires, and the system is connected with the system of French Dahomey. There are also several miles of telephone wires, and a wireless station has been established at Lagos. The principal ports are Lagos and Port Harcourt. Shipping facilities to Nigeria are offered mainly by Elder Dempster & Co., though the vessels of the Bromport Steamship Co., the Bull West African Line, Chargeurs Reunis Steamship Co., Holland West African Line, Société Navale de l'Ouest, Deutscher Afrika-Dienst, John Holt & Co., and the Swedish West Africa Line are often seen in Nigerian ports. Sailings from New York and New Orleans are advertised by the Elder Dempster and Bull Lines. In addition, a great deal of coastal and river trade is carried on in canoes. During 1922 there were 399 steamships entered at the port of Lagos. This port has the principal wharfage and warehouse accommodations, though Port Harcourt has been developed considerably during the last two years. The trade importance of the port of Lagos in 1919 is shown by the tonnage entered and cleared, which was 663,000 tons, as compared to 89,000 tons for Bakuru, 52,000 tons for Opobo, 54,000 tons for Calabar, and 48,000 tons for Port Harcourt. Lack of detailed statistics for more recent years makes it impossible to show the rise of Port Harcourt to the position of second in importance. With the further extension of the Port Harcourt-Udi Railway, considerable Lagos trade will be diverted to Port Harcourt. Most of the shipping entering and clearing at Nigerian ports is under British registry, as shown by the following table: In 1923 other nationals carried trade as follows: German, 101,035 tons; Dutch, 71,423 tons; American, 64,989 tons; French, 62,035 tons; Italian, 34,436 tons; Swedish, 24,538 tons; Norwegian, 7,856 tons; and Portuguese, 120 tons. CLIMATE The Nigerian climate on the whole is not healthy for white population, except perhaps on the high plateau. The seasons depend more on the rainfall than on temperature. The dry season in the north lasts from October to April, and in the south from November to March. The dry season brings with it the "harmattan," a dry northeasterly wind accompanied by cold nights and hot days. The lowest mean temperature is in July and August, and the highest mean, as a rule, in March and April. At the end of the dry season a number of tornadoes usually precede the beginning of the rainy season. The average rainfall at Bonny on the coast is 163 inches, while at Lokoja at the juncture of the Niger and Benue Rivers it is only 48 inches. In the northwest at Sokoto the average is 25 inches, practically all of which falls during the period from May to September. Nigeria is divided into four zones, varying a great deal in physical make-up. The first belt is a strip from 10 to 60 miles wide, largely composed of swamps and mangrove forests. It follows the coast line, and thus includes the delta of the Niger and is crossed by a large 39225-25- -2 |