Evening star., 1960-04-21

had a university, the first in
tropical Africa. The city was
the first on the continent to
have a mayor or q railway
station and Creole society pro-
duced the first black knight
and the first African bishop.
Freetown, whose harbor is
the worlds third largest, served
as capital for a time of all
British West Africa and its
proud Creoles for many years
dominated professional and
government life in Nigeria and
Ghana.
They always hated and de-
spised the "barbarians" of the
interior and this essential
cleavage today dominates poll
tics IN Sierra Leone: The
Creole is as much a settler"
as the white man in Kenya
and he has just as many reser-
vations in regard to giving
political control to the natives.
Margai From Interior
But this battle has already
been lost. DR.. Margai is a
"buShman," the first man from
Sierra Leone's interior to at
tend the Creole university. to
qualify as a surgeon, to be
knighted. He was educated by
American missionaries and at
England's University of Dur
ham and spent most of his
career in government medical
service.
On his retirement, this Wig
orouS Methodist founded the
first newspaper in the interior
and, after welding two splinter
groups into the Sierra Leone
Peoples Party, was elected to
the Legislative Council. In
1857 when a reallocation of
seats gave the people of the
interior political control, DR..
Margai swept to power.
His most potent political
foe is his radical 49-year-old
brother Albert, the first bush
man" to earn a law degree.
Albert once served on the doc
tors cabinet but was dealt with
like an offending appendix
when he tried to take over.
No White Settlement
One political problem DR..
Margai is not confronted with
is white settlement. Sierra
Leone early gained its reputa-
tion as "the White Mans
Grave" when fever killed IL
governors in one 70-year period.
In the first quarter-century Of
missionary activity, 109 Angli-
can priests died. There is, how
ever, a small, vigorous and un-
popular Syrian community
which controls commerce.
Sierra Leone is a saucer
shaped country of steaming
swamps, golden beaches and
rust-brown hills acned with
erosion. 1t imports more beer
than soap, has giant rats three
feet long, boasts a 311-mile
railway upon which doWnhill
speeds Of 18 mp.h. have been
recorded, possesses 140 miles Of
paved road, and has a 107-man
navy. Now it is thinking Of
acquiring a ship.
1t produces $18 million worth
Of alluvial diamonds and Sl2
million worth of iron eac
year (total exports, including
broom bristles and chimpan-
zees, are worth $42 million) but
most of its 81 million people
are so poor that less than 10
paid income tax last year and
per capita income is the low
est In British West Africa.
There is a trade deficit of $36
million and the annual budget
is $29 million. British aid since
the end of the war has ex-
ceeded SIS million.
December Is Goal
Tomorrow DR.. Margai will
ask Macleod for independence
in December. Welcome as is
the diamond revenue, the situ-
alton in the gem fields is the
one factor which might induce
Britain to refuse the doctors
request. Beginning in 1854,
100000 Africans poured into
! the diamond areas, which is
held on concession by a South
African company, and began
illicit mining. BraWling, dis
eaSe-breeding Shanty towns rose
among heaps of empty brandy
bottles and cars abandoned by
successful diggers when the
vehicles ran out of gas.
Sierra Leone's Governor, esti-
mating the country was losing
SIS million per year in royalties
and taxes, threw the police and
the army against the wildcat
ters. In an attempt to keep the
| peace. the diamond company
agreed to narrow its conces-
sion and shorten its lease.
More than 5000 licenses were
issued to African diggers. But
still a third of the police force
is required to maintain any
thing like order in the mine
| fields.
AS a result of the rush, pro-
| duction of II of Sierra Leone's
Ia crops is declining at a time
when her population is doubling
itself every 25 years. DR.. Margai
is going to have to convince
Mr.. Macleod that he can con-
troll the diamond fields and get
Sierra Leone's economy back
on an even keel