Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-27

, trade movement toward the conquest
of East Africa. II is the warehouse
OF this coast and its business Is seNelal
times as large as that OF any other
ports on this side the continent. IL
naturally belongs to the United states,
for we were the first TO open UP its
foreign trade. AS far back as 1916
Uncle sam established u trading con.
suate at the court of the then eultun
of Zanzibar, ana We then began TO SEND
in cotton goods and hardware for dis.
trlbution over the eastern part OF the
African continent
The work of that time ls still in evil
dence. American cottons are known
everywhere, They are considered the
best made. and II our exporters would
push them they could crowd out the
poorer goods from India, England and
Germany. The other nations fight
American goods, and they do every
thing they can to destroy our trade.
They are studying the wants and tastes
of the natives and are making patterns
to please them. The most active mer-
chants at present are the Germans, who
are selling q kind OF cotton known as
kangas, used as women's dresses.
Sanga is a square OF calico about two
yards long by n yard and Il half wide.
1t Is printed in bright colors and two
kongas form complete dress for
and another about the body under the
arms or over the shoulders. There Is
a change in the fashions of these cot
tons from time to time, and the women
want the new styles and colors as soon
as they come. Here In Zanzibar | see
some which have patterns of playing
cards and others which are covered
with animals, and especially lions or
leopards. They cost about 10 cents
pair, understand there is demand
for flannel kangas printed in colors.
There undoubtedly would be large
sale for American kangas II the pat
terms were right.
The bulk of the American goods
brought into this part OF the world is
through Europeans. There are some
American firms, but the most of the
profits OF our trade go to outsiders.
There is man at Marseille named
Klein who Is doing an enormous buSi-
ness In American cottons throughout
eastern Africa. He has n branch house
here and one at Mornbasa, and his
agents are travelling through Abyssinia,
Somaliland. British East Africa, Ugan-
da and German East Africa. He has
his cotton made to order in America
in pieces of ~ yards each and he brings
a shipload of about 1900 tons across
the ocean every year.
/ met one of Klen's agents on Lake
Victoria This was a Eurasian who
had just come from Bismarckburg on
the southern end of Lake Tanganyika
and was then on his way to Mombasa.
He had gone to Lake Tanganyika to
Investigate the conhscation of $4,000
worth of ivory tusks by the Belgians.
Klein trades q great deal Of Ameri-
can cottons for IVORY. The elephants
tuske are carried on the heads of por-
ters down to the coast, or they are
brought tc Lake Tanganyika and sent
TO Mombnsu by the Uganda railway.
The ivory in question had been bought
In German East Africa. and the porters
were taking short cut through the
Congo territory to get 1t to the coast. |
While on the way they were captured, |
and the Belgian officials claimed the |
ivory on the ground that the porters |
We're smugglers. Klelns agent succeed |
cd in getting the ivory back. and It Is |
now coming here to Zanzibar across
country on the heads of porters. 1t |
win be transferred to boats at the sea-
coast and brought here for shipment.
HOW IVORY is BOUGHT.
asked this young man as to the
selling prices of ivory. He tells me that
the ordinary price in the interior for a
tusk OF $50 pounds Is about 100 rupees,
or $40. At Mombaaa the same tusk
would be worth $500 or $500 The ivory |
varies in price according to locality, |
and that which Is worth 10 cents |
pound on Lake Tanganyilta win sell for |
1885 a pound at the seacoast. In buy |
Ing ivory of the natives the current |
money is American cotton sheeting, !