This was published in TA 74, Jan 2003

These extracts are from the Tanganyika Standard in 1952:

Sauti ya Dar es Salaam announced that it hoped to build a new 20 kilowatt short-wave transmitter by 1954 so that people outside Oar Salaam could hear the radio station. It was also reported that listeners were complaining about the absence of readings from the Koran on radio and about announcers who did not pronounce Swahili correctly.

The rounding up of 158 Kikuyu men in the Northern and Tanga provinces, who were suspected of Mau Mau sympathies, was completed in early November.

This appeared in TA 70, September 2001

Extracts from the Tanganyika Standard in 1951:

21st July 1951 – The general Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution in 1950 recommending that the flag of the UN should be flown over all its trust territories (including Tanganyika) side by side with the flag of the administering authority (the UK). The UK abstained from voting on the issue but the Tanganyika government subsequently agreed that the UN flag would be flown on appropriate days like the anniversary of the United Nations Charter, the UN Day and when there were visits by Trusteeship Council visiting missions to Tanganyika.

August 4 1951 – Five rioters were reported killed on 25th July in Zanzibar
following the arrest of a group of 19 African cattle owners who had refused to have their animals inoculated against anthrax (Arab and Indian cattle owners had agreed to the inoculations). They were sentenced to six weeks hard labour but then people attacked the police van taking them to jail and released them. The crowd went on to attack the prison and advanced on Senior Assistant Superintendant E.H. Hull and 40 police officers who opened fire to protect themselves. Some 120 volunteer police were sent over later from Dar es Salaam but stayed for only five days until peace had returned. Seven men including a policeman were later convicted of rioting and sentenced to from six months to three years in jail .A public inquiry was appointed under the chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Zanzibar. On August 11 the last 117 cattle were inoculated. This was said to have been the first serious trouble in Zanzibar since the 1948 docks strike.

August 18 1951 – A 130-mile oil pipeline from Mtwara to Nachingwe built in 1949 at a cost of £400,000 for the failed Ground Scheme was sold to the Israeli government for £250,000. Some 300 tractors and several thousand other vehicles left over from the Groundnut Scheme were still to be sold.

August 18 1951 – Record prices were paid at the customs auction yesterday for ivory (18 shillings a pound) with even smaller tusks going for £60. Rhino horn got 54 shillings a pound and hippo teeth £4.90.

August 18 1951 – District Officer K R E Dobbs (27), who had been sentenced
to nine months hard labour in Jury by magistrate F W Theeman for stealing by a public servant and four months for uttering a false document, appealed to the High Court against the sentence. At a trial arranged just 45 minutes after he had been originally charged, he admitted that elephant tusks had been brought in by a game Scout, he had declared them to be his property and he had not shot the elephants himself. He said that therefore he had to admit that he was guilty. At the end of the appeal the Chief Justice said there must be a new trial under a new magistrate because of doubt about the nature of his plea of guilty. (The result of the second trial is not known – Editor).

October 13 1951 – 1000 lamp bulbs are being stolen from coaches on the Central Railway Line each year. “Locking rings” are to be introduced.

The following appeared in TA 59 (Jan 1998)

The following stories are extracted from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in the first four months of 1948:

January 17 (1948): Extracts from a letter from Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, written in her own hand to the Governor of Tanganyika: ‘I am pleased with the wedding present which the people of Tanganyika have had the kindness to send me. This magnificent diamond (the amount of money raised by contribution from the public was £2,479 and the value of the diamond was £1,000 – Editor), which they have kindly offered to have cut in accordance with my wishes, is an object of great value and beauty … .I am very glad that the remainder of the money raised to give me this handsome present will be devoted to the Tuberculosis Hospital at Kibongoto.. . .’

February 7: The death of Mahatma Gandhi on January 30 was followed by a letter headed ‘When Gandhi was in Dar es Salaam’ from a person described as a well known Indian gentleman who signed himself ‘HR’. He wrote: ‘After his struggles in South Africa, Gandhi passed through Dar es Salaam in 1912 and stayed two days. He was indifferent in health and was dieting for a natural cure. He used to sit with my mother in the kitchen and help her in the preparation of the food.. . He was never ashamed to do his own work.

February 21 : Car prices are to increase substantially. The Ford Prefect will go up to £435; the Ford Anglia to £390.. ..Some 38 British-built Albion trucks (4- cylinder, 24hp-types operating on paraffin) imported in 1924 and 1925 are still in use after 23 years.. . .. The limited allocation of permits to import up to 200 American vehicles per annum has ceased because of the severe shortage of dollars in the sterling area.

February 28: “Your roads generally speaking are appalling and your hotels are in keeping with your roads” – comment from a visitor recently arrived from Britain.

March 6: Passenger traffic at Dar es Salaam airport is increasing rapidly – the number of passengers doubled from 540 in January to 1,020 in February and the number of planes arriving and departing reached 280 in January 1948 compared with only 13 5 in January 1947.

March 13: There were big celebrations in Tabora when the new Chief, Nassoro bin Saidi Fundikira, was crowned at his palace at Itetemia. Some 40 Europeans, 40 Arabs, 20 Indians and 5,000 Africans including the Chefs of Kahama, Nzega and Shinyanga were present. At 9 am Mtemi Nassoro was presented with the spear and bow and arrows of office. The Kibangwa was placed on his head. The Tabora Secondary School Band provided the music and there was much noise from the firing of volleys from old muzzle loaders.

March 27: Former British Conservative Minister of Agriculture Robert Hudson was quoted as saying that the Labour government’s scheme for the growing of monkeynuts in Tanganyika, which had been announced with such a flurry of trumpets, was going to be a most fantastic failure. After 18 months of work there were thousands of bulldozers standing idle and, instead of the 150,000 acres targeted to be planted this year, there would be just 7,000. £25 million had been wasted, he said. But the head of the Overseas Food Corporation, Major General Desmond Harrison, in a letter to the Tanganyika Standard described Mr Hudson’s statement as absurd.

This appeared in TA Issue 57 (1 May 1997) Stupid wordpress doesn’t allow dates pre 1960 any more ?

Ahead of all other stories in the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ during the first part of 1947 were those concerned with the ‘Groundnut Scheme’ which ended in disaster several years later. These are some of the stories:

January 25, 1947: The first experts from the United Africa Company (UAC), the company selected by the British government to operate the groundnut scheme, have arrived in Dar es Salaam. UAC Managing Director Mr F Samuel said “I believe that in a hundred years’ time the historians of the development of Africa will regard the beginning of this scheme as marking the critical date in the history of agricultural progress in tropical Africa. The initial stage will be the development of 150,000 acres of land mostly near Mpwapwa ….. speed is of the essence because of the world-wide shortage of fats”.

February 8, 1947: The biggest aeroplane ever to land at Dar es Salaam airport arrived yesterday carrying a party of groundnut experts. The British government has issued a White Paper saying that ‘this scheme is agriculturally sound; subject to reasonable assumptions, it involves no unjustifiable financial risk …… a production of 600,000 tons of groundnuts per annum can be expected by 1950:

April 8, 1947: The Dar es Salaam wharf was busier than ever yesterday when the first of over 500 heavy tractors for the groundnut scheme were off-loaded; they were still caked in mud from other lands (for they are not new); some have come from as far away as the Philippines …..

April 12, 1947: A lonely spot on the far south coast of Tanganyika, whose only claim to fame is that it was once filmed as the background for the film ‘Blue Lagoon’ will shortly become ‘Port Peanut’. This follows a recommendation that Mto Mtwara, a natural harbour on the Mikindani Bay should be the site of the new port to handle groundnut traffic. The total cost of railway and port will be £3 million – four times the original estimate.

The following appeared in Issue 55 (Sept 1996)

The main topic of debate in the press towards the end of 1946 was the status of Tanganyika. Was it to become a territory under the Trusteeship of the newly founded United Nations or was it to become a British Colony? The other matter of considerable interest at the time was a proposal to grow groundnuts on a large scale. The following are extracts from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in 1946.

‘OF COURSE WE LIKE THE BRITISH’
An ‘Open Letter’ to the British people was published on July 13 from the ‘British Association of Tanganyika’ in which reference was made to the joint efforts of all the people during the recently concluded war and begging Britain not to allow the country to become a UN trusteeship but to become instead a British colony. In 1922 the League of Nations had assumed mandates over a number of territories (including Tanganyika) which had been ‘deemed not yet ready to stand by themselves in the strenuous conditions of the modern world’.

A reader describing himself as an ‘Innocent African’ wrote next day that, of course Africans liked the British in preference to the Germans, but they only liked them when they acted as fathers and not as ‘suckers’. ‘As long as the British Empire is infected with such harmful elements as the Arusha Settlers and Company, within a decade there will be no such thing as the once proud and powerful empire’, he wrote. ‘The Tanganyika African Association should cable immediately to His Majesty’s Government a vote of thanks for its consent to place the country under a trusteeship’.

A few days later the Indian Association, after a long debate, concluded that the members supported trusteeship but wanted it to be under British administration.

‘NOT DISSATISFIED WITH THE RESULTS’
In July a 3-man team of experts (the ‘Groundnuts Enquiry Mission’) which was in the country for about five weeks, expressed themselves as ‘not dissatisfied with the results of their investigations’. They added that it was the distribution rather than the quantity of rainfall which was the limiting factor as regards possible groundnut production in some districts.

In early November concern was expressed in Britain because the ‘groundnut report’ was apparently being considered as ‘confidential’ and was not to be published.

On November 29 British Food Minister John Strachey announced that the United Africa Company was to start work immediately on a scheme to grow groundnuts in Tanganyika but that the government would commit itself to only one year of support. Studies began on the comparative suitability of Kilwa Kivinji and Lindi as ports for the export of the groundnuts.

A NEW DRUG
‘A new anti-malarial drug called Paludrine is to be tested in field trials in Tanganyika. It might prove even more valuable than mepacrine and quinine’ (July 27 1946).

The following appeared in TA 53 (Jan 1996)

The following extracts from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ appeared between January and April 1946.

“WE INTEND TO CONTINUE” (January 19)
These words were used by Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin in his speech to the UN General Assembly in London, when he said that Britain would soon start negotiating to place Tanganyika, Cameroon and Togoland under the Trusteeship system. “These territories have been administered by us for over 25 years. We have fulfilled our obligations under the covenant of the League of Nations and to the best of our ability administered and developed them in the interests of their inhabitants”.

THREE TON VERMIN (February 9)
A Rufiji inhabitant’s prospective food for the year can be destroyed overnight by a single rampaging hippo, so they have been appropriately termed three ton vermin. But the vermin can easily turn miscreant. Recently local fishermen, chest high in water, were beating about to drive river fish into traps. Suddenly there was a mighty upheaval, and the feet of one of the fisherman were pushed from under him. The next second a hippo emerged and savaged the poor man to death. Three days later Mr A K Barker of Muhoro was called by local elders, and he shot the animal.

This appeared in TA number 51 (May 1995) Ed

The following extracts are from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in 1945.

V E DAY – May 8, 1945
Midst very heavy rain in Dar es Salaam, church bells rang out, sirens sounded, guns sounded in salute. The official ‘Tanganyika Territory Gazette’ appeared in red, white and blue. There was a two-day public holiday. The most ambitious documentary ever produced on Nairobi Radio was heard in Tanganyika.

In Kigoma children from the Greek refugee camp held a torchlight procession through the town dressed ln their national colours. Belgian Lake steamers arrived gay with flags and pasengers had an all-night party on board. Palm leaves and flags were flying outside African houses. Even pieces of the memsahibs’ dresses had been promoted to sticks and were flying happily in the wind.

In Tabora the signal for the opening of celebrations was the sounding of Reveile form the four corners of the battlements of the Boma. Four bands marched through the streets and 100 head of cattle were slaughtered for celebrations which continued for eight days.

At Arusha School there was a fancy dress Victory party, a concert and a picnic.

In Manyoni some 3,000 people gathered in the market square and began ngomas which lasted for two days and nights.

In Bukoba there were bonfires on the hills.

FIRMLY ESTABLISHED
“We are about to embark on a new epoch of prosperity in Tanganyika Territory …. British rule is, for the first time, firmly and permanently established here”. So said Attorney General C McFurness-Smith in welcoming at a ceremony at the High Court the new Chief Justice, His Honour Sir George Graham Paul. Mr Furness-smith said that during the past quarter century of British rule the country had been handicapped by a sense of insecurity aggravated by the continuing fear that British statesmen might barter Tanganyika to Germany under their policy of appeasment. “Now” he said “we are at the beginning of a new epoch in the fortunes of Tanganyika”.

The following was printed in TA issue 49 (Sept 1994)

The following extracts are from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in the autumn of 1944.

THE YACHT THAT DISAPPEARED
The yacht that mysteriously disappeared from Kisumu has reappeared. It turned up 200 miles away on the other side of Lake Victoria at Bukoba. Trying to escape from a Kenya Prisoner-of-War Camp and reach neutral territory in Portuguese Mozambique (800 miles further on! ) two Germans and an Italian took 18 days to cross the Lake and had used up all their food. The first people they saw in Bukoba sent at once for the Chief of Ihangiro and when he arrived he found the prisoners surrounded by Africans with spears and bows. They surrendered to the Chief who passed them on to the police. They are now back in Kenya – September 9 1944.

ANNUAL REPORT, LABOUR DEPARTMENT – 1943
The number of Africans in paid employment at the end of 1993 was 275,403 including 22,927 conscripted workers. This represented 1.6% of the total male tax-paying population. Included were 99,100 in sisal, 22,300 on the railways, 18,500 in mining, 17,900 on rubber plantations, 8,900 on mixed farms, 8,700 on coffee estates, 8,300 in public works, 5,700 on pyrethrum farms, 2,200 on sugar estates, 1,200 on papain farms, 4,500 in the kapok, copra and mangrove bark industries, 400 on cinchona estates and 24,300 in domestic service. Prosecutions under the Master and Servants Ordinance in 1943 totalled 70 employers (mostly for not paying wages) and 135 employees (mostly for leaving their employment) – September 23.

THE NEAREST THE WAR CAME TO TANGANYIKA
There was an ear-splitting roar, a jagged red flash and a mounting column of thick brown smoke. Hot fragments of scrap iron shattered down over half a mile of the surrounding sea, sand and coastal scrub. It was a mine from somewhere in the Indian Ocean that had drifted to the Tanganyika coast a few miles south of Dar es Salaam. An old fisherman of Dege had spotted the three foot sphere and, thinking it was a loose buoy, brought his canoe up close, put a rope round one of its projections and towed it ashore. He called to friends to help him to roll it up the beach. Then they reported it to the authorities, The nearby village was immediately evacuated and finally experts blew it up. After that the lonely beach of Dege began to look like Oyster Bay on a Sunday afternoon as hundreds gathered to see the hole in the sand – five feet deep and twelve feet wide – September 16.

The following extracts are from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in the early part of 1944.

EXERCISE ETIQUETTE
A rather angry farmer wrote to the Editor on February 26, 1944: ‘1 think some of the officers in the Moshi area need a refresher course in good manners. A few don’ts:

1) If a farmer has given half his farm to the military authorities free, don’t behave like a boor; at least send your Adjutant to find out what will and what will not constitute a nuisance on the remainder of the farm;

2) When route marching through private property, maintain march discipline and don’t let men fall out and help themselves to grapefruits and pawpaws;

3) If you wish to train your men in bush fighting don’t do so in a coffee plantation as coffee branches are easily
broken !

RAILWAY AND PORT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WAR
The Chief Mechanical Engineer was quoted on May 27 1944 as having described some of the work done by the Marine, Civil and Mechanical Departments of the Tanganyika Railway and Port Services since the beginning of the war in 1940. ‘The first order’ he said, ‘was for stars and crowns for the locally recruited officers of the armed forces. This caused considerable difficulties and the task almost had to be given up, until it was learnt that an expert coiner had just been released from prison. He was sufficiently good at his illicit trade to have earned a ten-year stretch but he was soon put to work to produce hundreds of stars and crowns. The Works had also been engaged in conversion of heavy passenger-carrying planes into fighting machines …. Tanganyika Railways also collected, treated and supplied 100 old Krupp railway axles for trench mortars. Several thousand machined parts were made for land mines and 50 river pontoons complete with decking and hinged connectors were also made.. … Other items included 500 five-ton lifting jacks, 80,000 pairs of head and toe plates for army boots and 60 sets of mine and depth charge launching gear.. ..We have made an active contribution to the war’ the Chief Mechanical Engineer said.

The following extracts are from the ‘Tanganyika Standard’ in the latter part of 1943, and were included in TA 46 (Sept 1993)

‘THE MOST SAVAGE CAMPAIGN OF THE WAR’
‘The campaign was brief, lasting barely two months. It was bloody, no quarter being given. It was unremitting. 3,520 African soldiers and 60 British officers and NCO’s were in action at the end. Eventually the campaign extended to 12,000 square miles. 380 vehicles were used ….. ‘

This East African campaign was not waged against a human foe but against one of mankind’s greatest hereditary scourges – locusts. Some 90% of the large and very dense hopper hordes were exterminated (August 20, 1943).

18 SETS OF LEADERS IN ZANZIBAR
Colonel Oliver Stanley, Secretary of State for the Colonies, addressed a large meeting of the Royal Empire Society in London about his recent tour of East Africa. Among the scenes that would remain in his memory was driving through Zanzibar amid the smell of cloves and his impression of peace and friendliness which was surprising since he was introduced to no less than 18 sets of leaders (laughter). Colonel Stanley spoke also of the Lutheran Mission at Dar es Salaam where the Germans had begged to be allowed to carry on but where, actually, were found effigies and a shrine to Adolf Hitler (December 11,1943).

SURPLUS BALANCE
His Excellency the Governor described Tanganyika’s financial position as ‘sound and satisfactory’ during his budget speech. There would be a surplus balance of about £965,000. There would be no change in taxation in 1944 and the estimated revenue would be £3,510,000. The biggest budget increases would be for the PWD, Medical, Veterinary and Education services. The Governor referred to the serious manpower shortages. The demand for new recruits for the armed forces would show a large reduction in 1944 but the demand for labour for production was increasing. The vast majority of labourers were volunteers, conscripts being less than 10%. Mainly because of poor weather it would be necessary to import staple foodstuffs during the next nine months in order to keep up the production of sisal, pyrethrum, rubber and other essentials