Evening star., 1920-02-09
AFRICA HAS REAL
LAND Of PROMISE
Country Along Juba River
Holds Vast Agricultural
Opportunities.

"Jubaland is not musical comedy
name for Dixie. but portion of Brit
ish East Africa which may be Joined
to Italian Soma aliland as the outcome
of amicable negotiations between
Great Britain and Italy, news dis
patches state" says the National Geo
graphic Society in recent bulletin
Few other undeveloped regions on
that vast continent hold such agri-
cultural opportunities for individuals
or companies which can handle ma
tive labor as do the vast uncultivated
plains on which rubber, cotton and
tobacco can be grown
Jubaland now is the nothernmost
part OF British East Africa. lying
west of the Juba river. Few white
men have penetrated the Businesses
OF this country, which touches Abys-
sinia on the north. Uganda on the
west and Italian Somaliland on the
east Its southern portion fringes
the equator. With the exception of
the Juba there are no navigable
streams of note leading inland
400 Miles Navixable.
THE Juba river, about the length
of our own Colorado river, can be
used for commercial navigation about
4oO miles from its mouth. In it's valley.
where irrigation is practiced on a
naturally fertile soil, already there
are continuous fields of maize. miIIet
plantain. semsem. tobacco and cotton.
Near the lower portion of the river
densely populated areas alternate
with forests.
within Jubaland's territory. only a
little less in area than Italy, per-
haps 100000 members of the Somali
and Gala tribes live. The Gallas are
Of high physical quality. They are
dark brown in color, are generally
tall and well formed, and their deep
sunk. lively eyes give their faces
keen. intelligent look. They are war
like nomads and roam with their
herds OF camels. ponies. cows and fat
tailed sheep over the grassy uplands
of their country. Within recent years
the Somali. who live farther to the
north, have gradually pushed into the
Gala country and are sending its
people southwark and westward The
Gallas are hospitable, brave in battle
and keen in trading.
Women Enjoy Freedom.
Their women enjoy an exceptional
amount of freedom as compared with
that given the women Of most African
tribes. They may even reject an un-
desirable suitor. Both men and women
usually wear mantle of coarse cot
ton. and make up for the lack in the
number of their garments by adorn-
ing themselves with ornaments Of
brass and iron. The men wear neck
laces of the brighter metal, leaving
the fashion of armlets and anklets of
more inconspicuous substances to
women.
This land of promise is not an un-
pleasant place to live. The low lands
are hot. but a short distance back
from the shores of the Indian ocean
the land begins to rise gradually un-
til it reaches an elevation of between
4 S0O and 6 0OO feet when II atratches
out into a rolling plateau. with valu-
able forest areas. In this section the
climate is temperate, with heavy rains
during our spring and fall months.
The crops are approximately the same
as those we find in our own country.
''Kismayu is the capital Of Jubaland.
1t is town of aboue-2.O00 Inhabitants
few miles from the mouth of the
Juba and carries on brisk trade
with the interior"