Excerpt from TA issue 43 (Sept 1992)
The following extracts from the’ Tanganyika Standard’ appeared between May and December 1942.
RECRUITING SOLDIERS
Some 5,000 people turned up at the Open Space in Dar es Salaam yesterday (July 23rd, 1942) to see a display of military recruiting posters, photographs of recruits in training, a map explaining how Tanzanian troops were serving in Ceylon and Madagascar (in Madagascar they took part in the defeat of Vichy french forces – finally achieved on November 12th 1942), badges and, particularly popular, an exhibition of the Askari’s daily rations, Rifles, a Bren gun and a three inch mortar were shown and field Wireless Sets provided a demonstration of ‘White Man’s Magic’ revealing how messages could be carried over great distances. To dispel fears amongst Mohammedans that army meat might not be killed in accordance with their customs, guarantees to this effect, written by the African butcher of Messrs Liebig (Meat Cannery), were given out.
ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE LAKE HOTEL, BUKOBA (June 5, 1942)
‘ Beautiful climate, ideal situation on Lake Victoria, highly popular with visitors from all over East Africa. Bathing, surfing, tennis, golf , billiards, fishing and shooting. Splendid beach for children, Moderate tarrif’.
KEEP OFF THE BEACH AT NIGHT
(Things were different in Dar es Salaam!) A ‘Defence (Protected Areas) Foreshore Order’ has been promulgated by the Officer Commanding Troops in Dar es Salaam to ensure that a stretch of beach 40 yards wide between Kunduchi and Mbwamamaji is kept clear of unauthorised persons at night.
UNIFIED SWAHILI BIBLE (July 31 1942)
Under the aegis of the British and foreign Bible Society a conference has been held in Arusha by the Bishop of Zanzibar and Mombasa to discuss the production of a unified Swahlli Bible…, Many versions of the scriptures have been translated into Swahili from the time of Krapf until the latest by Roehl and there has been profound scholarship in the work done but it is felt that a unified Bible would be the most effective way of presenting the scriptures to Africans,
THE ‘BATTLE OF DAR ES SALAAM’ (September 11, 1942)
The ‘State of Emergency’ involving army personnel culminating in Sunday’s ‘Air Raid’ and the ‘Battle of Dar es Salaam’ which followed the landing of ‘enemy troops’ along the coast from Msasani Bay to Sea View gave a splendid opportunity for trying out the civilian’ Civil Defence Organisation’ … but, while these specialised services were called upon to deal with 98 incidents during the day, ranging from the grand coup involving the destruction of Government House to the scattering of fragments of red glass in a road, it was generally agreed that civil defence workers had found little to do.
The Chief Umpire of the exercise commented, however, that the efforts made to black out the town were very bad indeed. “This is very humiliating” he said. “We must look to our laurels”.
PROTECTION FOR LEOPARDS (December 18, 1942)
An Amending Bill was passed in the Legislative Council giving increased protection to leopards under the Game Laws. “This is not because leopards are beautiful or rare” the Acting Administrative Secretary said “but because they are the natural enemy of wild pigs and baboons which are responsible for extensive damage to crops”.
GROSS FAVOURITISM TO THE MASAI
“Is the Government aware of the discontent in the country because of the gross favouritism it gives to the Masai?” asked Mr F. J. Anderson in the Legislative Council. The Chief Secretary replied “No Sir. Nor can Government accept that gross favouritism is shown towards the Masai.
The next question concerned Government annual administrative, medical and veterinary expenditures in Masailand, and, for comparison, those for Kondoa . The answer was £9,300 for Masailand and £4,470 for Kondoa for populations of 37,600 and 115,000 respectively.
“Do the Masai make full use of the 20,000 odd square miles of land they occupy?”. The Government’s reply pointed out that only 10,000 sq miles was occupied and that this was strictly conditioned by water supplies, The Masai made “the fullest economic use of the land which their stage of development and tribal way of life permits”.
“Can about 1,000 sq miles of agricultural land within Masailand be reserved for settlement of our fighting services personnel when their job of destroying our enemies, who would make slaves of the Masai, is completed?” The Chief Secretary replied “There is no prospect of any portion of Masailand being set aside for this purpose” .