The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-20
TO COLOMBO MADAGASCAR.
Frances Plans for the Government
of the Island

Hilary s Brunot, the American Consul
at st. Etienne, has written to the State
Department that General CTalIieui, the
military governor of that island is rap
idly succeeding in the work of military
colonization Of that island Mr. Brunot
says:
Heretofore somewhat similar expert
ments had been tried in other colonies,
but they did not respond to the expecta-
tons For instance. soldiers who had fin
ished their service in the colonies were
encouraged TO settle there, certain faciIi-
ties being accorded to them on the cOndi-
ton that they remained grouped in as
signed villages and more or less under
military discipline. Thus the soldier be
coming a cOIonist. recovered only por-
ton of his independence. and the offers
were net for the most part considered ac-
Ceptable by the soldiers. who preferred to
return to their native country.
General Gauieni has put into practice
another method which bids fsir to sue
coed He does not address himself to lib
Grated soldiers, but to those who are yet
in their third and last year of service;
neither does ne require the creation of
villages where rural and domestic work
would be regulated to the sound Of the
drum. He eudeavOrs to fix on the soil
men inspired by the sentiment Of their re-
sponsibifity and that Of their personal in
terest
THE soldier DESTROYS Of remaining in
the colony and presenting the usual guar
antics receives a concession of land in his
third year of service, and is obliged to
commence forthwith the exploitation OF
the lot given him. During the two preyi-
Gus years he has already passed in the
TENaar h.
Of experience as to the natives of the dis
tTiCt in which he has resided, the nature
Of the sell, and its resources, while ne
has made himself more or less familiar
with the language. The concession he
has taken has not been imposed on MIN;
he has chosen II himself, and he Will
work it in the manner ne thinks best
during the nTSt year at least, ne mas
not to trouble himself with the absolute
necessaTies Of life. as, being Il soldier.
the State feeds and clothes him. Fur
Their. the Government provides him with
some agricultural instruments and a few
head of cattle If the military colonist
fUiflls expectations in his work he is lent
httle money at long credit and without
interest; If, on the contrary. he proves
himself unworthy the concession IS tax
en- from him and he returns TO the ranks.
Such is the system initiated by Cen
eTai GalIieni in MAZDA Eascar. Already
over fifty soIdieT-coIOniSts are in posses
sion Of their concessions. and are in a fair
way Of becoming independent and useful
members OF the community A DTlGI MS
tory of one Of them viii suffice for all.
'COrpCTaI = received d concession of
go acres in 1898 and commenced BY plant
ing potatoes, which at the end of the year
brought him 1900 The following year he
built stables for his cattle. sheep. and
goats and constructed q baking oven His
kitchen garden furnished him with all
the vegetables necessary for his own con-
sumption, and the surplus he sold on the
markets IN that year he was visited by
a general en- PEASANT. who WAS so pleased
with his Inspection that he gave him $3.50.
which was Immediately employed in in
creasing his number of cattle At the
close Of the year he wrote to his colonel
to say that he had put twenty-five acres
under rice, a crop expected to give a re-
turn of 5000 A short time ago ne sent
an inventory showing the value of his
tenement. cattle, etc, which amounted to
nearly 81 900.
Encouraged by the above results. it is
probable that the Governor Of Madagas-
car VIII give considerable extension to
this system Of colonization"