The first two lines would open up the Bornu country, which is one of the most promising for cotton growing, and the third would open up the important district of Sokoto, which is an exceedingly important and promising center.

Railways in any district in Africa are a paying proposition, and I must emphasize the fact that they are not only required for cotton, but are equally necessary for the economic development of the colonies, and therefore should cotton fail, other produce would reimburse the Government for their construction. As an example, the Northern Nigerian Railway was constructed mainly upon the recommendations of a large and influential deputation from Lancashire to the late Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman, who was then the prime minister. The cabinet was reluctant to agree to our proposals, but thanks to the indomitable will and boundless energy of the then undersecretary of state for the colonies (Mr. Winston Churchill), the railway was eventually secured, with the result that economically it is a great success, and one other product besides cotton (groundnuts) has increased from 4.000 tons to 60,000 tons; it is difficult for the present railway to adequately cope with the freight.

As regards the agricultural departments, in the early days of the association thes were the "Cinderellas" of the establishment; in fact, prior to the advent of the British Cotton Growing Association they were scarcely in existence. All experiments were originally conducted by our own staff, but this was later taken over by the local governments. The keeping of the seed pure and of good quality is scientific work of the most vital importance, therefore the agricultural staffs should be largely augmented with a well-equipped personnel for cotton work. To show the urgent necessity of the work required to be carried out by the agricultural departments, I should like to mention that the present native cotton is fairly good for its class. It is strong, has a staple of 1 inch to 1 inches, is rough, but has a brown tint. Naturally, it is not always easy to sell this cotton, and something must be done to improve it. In 1914 efforts were made with an improved exotic seed, and the result was that 11 bales (of 400 pounds) were produced.

The distribution of this improved seed was continued, and I am pleased to say that last year 3,380 bales of this improved long staple cotton were grown. It is estmated that this year we shall get from 8,000 to 10,000 bales of cotton of 14 inches t 11 inches, which is worth a premium of from 2d. to 3d. per pound on middlinez American. This improvement is most important, for it gives the growers more seed cotton per acre, and the ginners a larger production of lint; i. e., 30 per cent as compared with 27 per cent for the ordinary native variety, so that with the premium on American we are enabled to pay the natives a higher price for their seed cotton. Given efficient experts and adequate transport facilities we see no reason why Nigeria should not some day give us some of the million bales of cotton that we require.

Kenya (formerly called the British East Africa Protectorate).-Population esti mated 4,000,000. Area approximately 200,000 square miles. A plantation was started at Malindi on the coast, first by the Government, and then the work was taken over by the British East Africa Corporation for the association. It was not successful.

We were also interested in a cotton company working large estates on the Tans River, but the crops were not satisfactory either as regards quantity or quality, and several thousands of pounds sterling were lost.

For a number of years cotton has been grown under irrigation on the Juba, but owing to climatic and labor conditions, the result has not been satisfactory. With the exception of a strip on the coast, and possibly on a small portion of land near Lake Victoria, it is doubtful if cotton can be grown economically in Kenya owing to the high altitudes and the heavy rainfall.

Uganda.-Population nearly 3,000,000. Total area 110,300 square miles. Here. again, cotton is grown as a native industry. The soil is exceedingly fertile, climatic conditions are generally favorable, and the country possesses a large intelligent population which has taken kindly to agricultural work.

About 16 years ago cotton was unknown in Uganda. To-day it heads the list of that colony's exports, being about 80 per cent. At one time the purse of the British taxpayer was lightened to the tune of £400,000 to make up the deficiency in revenue of British East Africa and Uganda. To-day this grant is nonexistent. We are tun modest to attribute this solely to cotton; but we do claim that it is mainly owing to cotton that Uganda has become self-supporting. It is from Uganda that we are recen ing the largest quantity and, for its class, the best cotton from any of the new fields. For the season 1920 the crop is estimated to have reached 52,000 bales. The quality is 1 inch at 14 inch, and is worth to-day in Uganda about one million sterling. Coffee and rubber plantations are also run by Europeans in Uganda; but recently the high price of cotton has induced some of the planters to grow cotton as a "between "

rop. There is, however, some difficulty as regards labor. Natives who grow cotton themselves and make it quite a financial success are not easily inclined to work on plantations for a fixed wage; his own garden, cultivated by himself, his wife, and amily, produce more satisfactory results. The difficulty existing in Nigeria of obtaining land does not exist in Uganda. The local government is willing to grant land, and provided that there are no economic drawbacks, such as labor difficulties, there should be excellent possibilities for companies to grow cotton. As a native industry, however, we think progress will be steadily upward at an estimated increase of 20 per cent annually. With improvements in rail and lake transport new districts will be opened up, and with a sufficiently large and up-to-date agricultural department to maintain the quality and supervise the distribution of seed we can hopefully look forward to the obtainment of half a million bales from this territory. Nyasaland.-Population, 1,217,000. Total area, 39,573 square miles. Here the cultivation is on the dual system, partly by European planters and partly by natives who work their own land. The number of these latter was increasing, but during the war so many were required for transport work and those remaining were obliged to cultivate food supplies for the troops and the country generally. In consequence the native industry has been at a standstill. A short railway runs from Blantyre to Chindio, on the River Zambesi, and from this point produce is conveyed down the river to Chinde. Arrangements, however, have now been made for the construction of a line southward to the ocean port of Beira, and it is hoped that the construction of a new line from Balntyre to Fort Johnston, south of Lake Nyasa, will also be undertaken in the near future. This line should also tap the resources of northeastern Rhodesia.

With additional transport facilities and an augmented agricultural staff, there is no reason why 100,000 bales of cotton of a quality nearly equal in type to that of Uganda should not be grown. The European planters grow tobacco and other crops; tobacco, in fact, is cotton's chief competitor. So far the demand for laber has been satisfactorily met. The country, however, is not large, and the results can therefor e never be on a big scale.

South Africa. Several years ago attempts were made to grow cotton in the Transvaal, but the local farmers found that other crops, such as mealies, paid them better. A revival, however, has recently taken place, with the result that fairly substantial progress is being made throughout the Union, and the cotton-growing industry appears at last likely to become established on a permanent basis. During last year about 2500 bales of cotton were produced. Unfortunately much of the cotton is too short in staple for the bulk of Lancashire spinners. Efforts are being made to improve the staple, but it is absolutely imperative that the question of seed selection should receive the closest attention of the local agricultural department.

In order to encourage planters to cultivate the best varieties of cotton on a more extensive scale, the association decided to present prizes to the value of £262 10 s. for competitions last year. A silver cup was also presented to the Royal Agricultural Show of Natal for competition for the best cotton exhibited at the society's annual show held in June last.

Rhodesia. Some years ago the Chartered Co., in conjunction with the association, started a cotton plantation at Mazabuka, near Livingstone. It was, however, not a success, owing to labor shortage and pests. It is probable also that the site was unsuitable. Recently the farmers in southern Rhodesia have again gone in for cotton in conjunction with other crops, and something like 1,200 acres have been planted. It will be interesting to know the results, as, Rhodesia being a white settlers' country, it may be possible for commercial enterprise to do something. There has also been a considerable extension of cotton cultivation in the Fort Jameson neighborhood under the auspices of the North Charterland Co. The great difficulty is transport, and it seems doubtful whether there can be any large developments until Fort Jameson is connected by railway with either the Zambesi or Blantyre. The association made a similar grant for prizes as in the case of South Africa.

Sudan.-The Sudan has a total area of 1,014,600 square miles, roughly half the size of India, with an estimated population of 3,400,000. Naturally, cotton can not be grown everywhere, and the population is sparse; but with a settled Government, which the country now happily enjoys, the remedy may be left to the people.

There are several cotton propositions in the Sudan, the chief being the Gezira, a large plain situated between the two Niles, immediately south of Khartoum. A dam is under construction at Sennar on the Blue Nile, and when these works are copleted 300,000 acres will be available for the cultivation of cotton. Later on, if the full scheme is carried out, it is hoped that 2,000,000 acres of splendid cotton land will be provided.

In the meantime two farms have been established-one at Barakat of about 6,000 acres and one at Tayiba of about 6,000 acres. A further farm is being started at HagAbdulla of about 6,000 acres. About 7,000 bales of excellent cotton were obtained last year, and this quantity will increase rapidly as the water becomes available. The practical working scheme for the growing of cotton in the Gezira owes its origin to the late Lord Kitchener, the idea being that the native should get well paid for his labors. as an inducement to further efforts. The scheme roughly is as follows: The proceeds of the crop are "pooled," and the Government, who supplies the land and the water, gets 35 per cent; the Sudan Plantations Syndicate, who undertake the entire management, do the minor canalization, plow the land, general direction of the cultivation, do the ginning, finance and market the crop, etc., receive 25 per cent, and the native. who does the cultivation, gets the remaining 40 per cent. At Tokar, 17 miles from Trinkitat, on the Red Sea, about 43,000 acres are flooded annually by the River Baraka, which river, as the result of summer rains in the Abyssinian Mountains and Eritrean Hills, comes down in intermittent flood and spills its waters over a delta varying in extent from 80,000 to 160,000 acres each year. The land belongs to the Government. There is also a slight rainfall of about 6 inches. Unless some scheme of irrigation is devised for the control and distribution of the Baraka waters cotton growing at Tokar is limited to about 20,000 to 28,000 bales each year, of excellent quality.

At Kassala there is a similar but much larger proposition, so far as irrigation is concerned, to Tokar. The River Gash, as a result of summer rains in the Abyssinian Hills, comes down with a much greater volume of water than the Baraka, and it is estimated that this river irrigates each year about a quarter of a million acres of excel lent cotton land. The only drawback to the immediate development of this area is the absence of the means of transport. At present the cotton from Kassala is carried to Suakin, a distance of about 250 miles by camel, and although this might pay to-day. the transport is naturally limited by the number of camels available. The only solu tion, therefore, is a railway connecting Kassala with the present Berber-Port Sudan line at Thamiam, which should be built for about 2,000,000 sterling, and if the Government can not construct this line from Imperial funds, we think that public enterprise should be allowed to step in and do the work.

India. The total area of India proper is about 1,803,000 square miles, with a population of over 315,000,000.

The possibilities of India are enormous, the production of cotton already exceeding 5,000,000 bales. Unfortunately, however, the quality is only suitable for the coarsest yarns, and very little is of use to Lancashire. The association's efforts have been directed to the question of an improvement in the quality, and representations have been made from time to time to bring this about. The task is a gigantic one, as the India ryot is very conservative. He knows he possesses a plant which gives him a certain yoeld, whereas some of the longer stapled, or exotic varieties, are perhaps more difficult to grow, and the yield might be less, and, unfortunately, he has not always received the equivalent in the way of a higher price for such cotton. The association spent some £3,000 in endeavoring to establish a perennial type of cotton. but it was not successful. Later, a sum of money was voted to the Government of India for experimental work. The association also offered to establish a model ginnery and buying stations, to supply the best qualities of seed, and to pay the highest possible price for the cotton, on the understanding that the Government took hali the risk of loss or profit; but in consequence of representations from the Bombay spinners, the Indian Government was unable to accept this offer.

The present position is that the agricultural departments are doing their best, but are sadly understaffed. A little time ago, a special commission was appointed to report fully on the whole question of cotton growing in India, and we confidently look forward to the necessary reforms being carried out which should utlimately result in a considerable improvement taking place in regard to Indian cotton.

There are some provinces in which longer stapled cotton (i. e., of 1 inch and over thrive, viz, in the canal colonies of the Punjab and Scind; the Broach district of Bombay, and the Tinnivelly district of Madras, etc., which tracts represent about onetenth of the cotton area of India.

The association has recently taken up an area of 7,500 acres in the Punjab for the purpose of growing cotton scienticfially on a commercial scale, and the erection of a ginnery. It is hoped to commence operations within a year, and if results are satis factory it should go far to stimulate the production of longer stapled cotton in this neighborhood.

Ceylon.-Population about 4,111,000; area, about 25,481 square miles. Experiments by cotton and rubber planters were conducted over several years, and the association some years ago erected a small ginning plant. Cotton as a crop, however,

was not a success, mainly owing to the excessive rainfall, and the industry was not persevered with.

Mesopotamia-Area, undefined; population, at present estimated at around 3,000,000, of which 1,700,000 are believed to be engaged in agricultural pursuits. A delegation from the association went out to Mesopotamia in November, 1919, for the purpose of inquiring into the possibilities for cotton growing.

The Government had already carried out some interesting experiments, the results of which had been eminently satisfactory and undoubtedly go to prove that cotton of the Egyptian and long-stapled American varieties will do well. The yields on the plots surpassed the average yield in Egypt and Amdrica, and the quality was exceedingly satisfactory. These experiments this year have been extended, and it is estimated that something like 300 bales are being produced. A ginning plant has been erected near Bagdad to deal with all the cotton at present grown. A further plantation of 200 acres has also been made and planted with cotton at Tel Deir, close to the Bagdad-Hilla Railway above the Hindia Barrage.

Mesopotamia undoubtedly offers great promise for the production of good staple cotton. The quantity, however, will largely depend upon the Government's future program for irrigation and drainage, and the population available at the moment is not large. At present, it may be possible to produce 120,000 bales on land provided with water from the existing works. The ultimate possibilities of the country with a sound irrigation system are estimated at 1,000,000 bales annually.

Australia. The association has taken an interest in cotton-growing in the Queensland district for a number of years. In October, 1913, a conference took place at the colonial office between the association and the Dominions Royal Commission with a view to some definite agreement being arrived at. The association has always been doubtful as to the possibilities for cotton growing in Australia on a commercial basis on account of labor shortage. The question has again, however, recently been very carefully considered, and the following offer was made by the association in August last year: "The British Cotton Growing Association will guarantee for a period of five years a selling price of 1s. 6d. per pound of lint for all clean cotton of good quality forwarded to them, freight and insurance paid, for sale in Liverpool. The cotton to be produced from cottonseed such as Allen's improved, or Cook's long staple, Egyptian Sakel, or similar long-stapled varieties; such seed to be issued by the Queensland Agricultural Department. The guaranty to date from the 1st of January, 1920, and the association's total loss throughout the period to be limited to an amount not exceeding £10,000.'

West Indies. Some of these islands at present produce the finest sea-island cotton grown in the world. The chief credit is due to the Imperial Department of Agriculture, which is one of the best equipped in the Crown colonies, possessing as it does an excellent staff of scientifically trained men, which should not only be maintained but strengthened. Cotton is grown by white planters in some of the islands, and in others by peasants as a native industry. The Government is responsible for the purchasing and ginning of the cotton. The association has rendered assistance to the industry by making monetary grants for the payment of experts, the erecting of ginning machinery, financing planters' crops, and the marketing of the same, in addition to advising the imperial commissioner of agriculture and the growers as to the best qualities required by the spinners.

The present production is about 4,000 bales, and there is a possibility of increasing this to 10,000 bales. The quantity, however, is limited owing to the fact that the islands are rather small, and there are other industries such as sugar, limes, etc., which prove very remunerative to the growers.

Prior to the advent of cotton growing in the West Indies many of the islands were dependent upon the treasury for a grant to make good their deficiency in revenue, and the cotton industry has made these islands self-supporting.

General.-There are many other places where experiments have been carried out; the result, however, has been of a negligible character, and in any case the possibilities have not been such as to warrant further expense and trouble.

The result of the work to-day is that Lancashire has benefited by about 100,000 bales of cotton per year (see Appendix A) many of the types of which are not only equal to but an improvement on similar types grown in America, Egypt, and Indiawhich are the main sources of supply. Lancashire has further benefited from an economic point of view, as the money used for the payment of the cotton grown by the natives is largely spent by them in the purchase of clothing, and thus a new market is opened up. The spending power of the native is also increased, and this in turn means more revenue for the colony. The Government has benefited chiefly by the association's work. Some few years ago grants were made from the imperial

treasury of between £600,000 to £700,000 for the colonies and protectorates of Nigeria. Uganda, Nyasaland, and the West Indies. To-day these grants are practically if not entirely canceled, and this is chiefly due to cotton growing. The Government has further gained in the matter of transport-the railways in Nigeria, Uganda and elsewhere are Government property, and cotton has been one of the chief factors in putting these railways on a paying basis. Again, in some places, such as Uganda, there is an export tax on cotton, and this tax alone for the season 1919-20 should bring in the sum of £45,000, which money is used not only for cotton facilities but for the general development of the colony.

THE EMPIRE COTTON GROWING COMMITTEE.

It was felt, however, two or three years ago that a much larger effort was required to push on more rapidly with the cultivation of cotton in various parts of the Empire if the country was to obtain any great returns, and as a result of representations to the prime minister a committee was appointed by the board of trade "to investigate the best means of developing the growing of cotton within the Empire and to advise the Government as to the necessary measures to be taken for this purpose. After the fullest investigations and inquiries, extending over a period of nearly three years, the Empire cotton growing committee issued its report (Cmd. 523) in the early part of last year. The report states that there is no doubt about the shortage of cotton nor as to its importance to Great Britain and the British Empire, and the following are among the recommendations contained in the committee's report:

(1) That the agricultural departments in British colonies and dependencies should be considerably enlarged and strengthened.

(2) That a central research institute should be established.

(3) That in order to increase the supply, and improve the training of, scientific men capable of studying cotton, readerships at British universities should be established in plant physiology, plant genetics, mycology, and entomology, and that research studentships, to be held by graduates, should also be established.

(4) That a bureau for the dissemination of information on cotton growing should be set up.

(5) That the British Cotton Growing Association should act as agents of the committee for marketing crops, where this is agreeable to the local Government, and that the Association should forego the appropriation of any profits made in business carried on under this arrangement, provided that it is guaranteed against permanent loss arising therefrom.

This report was very well received by the Governmnet and the trade, the President of the board of trade supporting the committee's proposals, and he urged that the problem must be handled more systematically and with greater vigor, and that the Government must be prepared to give more active support. Last July, therefore, the Government announced that they would ask Parliament to make a grant of £50,000 a year for five years to the new body that might be set up to carry out the committee's proposals, subject to the contribution from the industry itself, which it was suggested should take the form of a voluntary levy of 6d. per bale imposed by the spinners themselves on all raw cotton, and which it was estimated would yield a further sum of approximately £100,000 per annum.

In order to establish a permanent body to carry out the committee's recommenda tions, it has been decided to form the Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. to be constituted under roval charter, and this corporation will have about £150,000 per annum to spend. This money will be spent on: (a) Executive work; (b) supplementing the staffs of agricultural departments overseas and pioneering; (c) research stations abroad; (d) education; (e) commercial handling, such as guaranteeing prices, carrying the crop, and merchanting, etc.!

In conclusion, I would affirm that I am satisfied that large quantities of suitable cotton can be produced within the Empire, and those new fields which at the moment give the greatest promise are Nigeria, the Sudan, and Uganda. As a matter of fact, I venture to predict that the future Empire cotton zone will be between lines drawn about 15° north of the equator and 5° south, embracing Northern Nigeria, the Sudan, Uganda, etc., and this area is shown on the attached map, marked Appendix B.

1 For further details read paper by John W. McConnel: "Cotton Growing Within the British Empire."