Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1921.djvu/949

 FRENCH WEST AFRICA AND THE SAHARA 897

In 1919, 3,169 vessels of 6,430,949 tons entered and cleared the ports of French West Africa.

There are 1,370 miles of railway and 12,500 miles of telegraph. In 1916 there were 263 post offices, divided as follows: — Senegal, 59; Upper Senegal, 73 ; Guinea, 38 ; Ivory Coast, 38 ; Dahomey, 30 ; Maure- tania, 13 ; and Military Territory of the Niger, 12.

The use of French weights and measures, and money, is compulsory throughout French West Africa.

Governor-General of French West Africa. — M. Merlin. Appointed January, 1918.

The colony of Senegal consists of : —

1. The four municipal communes of St. Louis, the capital of the Colony (population, 1917, 23,326, French, 307) ; Dakar, a fortified naval station, and the seat of the Government General of French West Africa (population, 1918, 25,468, French, 2,791); Rufisque (population, 11,414, French, 205); and Goree (population, 1,444, French, 67). The total area is 438 square miles. The natives of these towns and their descendents are French citizens, and have the right of vote.

2. The territories of direct administration, in which the Government exercises absolute authority, which consist of : —

The outskirts of the communes of Dakar, Rufisque and St. Louis, and one kilometre on each side of the Dakar-St. Louis Railway, with the principal parts of Hann, Pout, Thies, Tivaouane, Pire, Macklie, Mekhe, Kelle, Kebemer, Gueoul, Louga, Sakal.

A rectangle with a front of two kilometres and a depth of one kilometre around the posts of Richard Toll, Dagana, Podor, Salde, Matam, and Bakel on the river Senegal ; Kaolack, Fatick, and the island of Foundioungne in the Sine-Saloum ; Sedhiou, Ziguinchor, and the island of Carabane on the river Casamance ; and Portudal, Nianing, and Joal on the sea coast east of Rufisque.

In these territories the natives are not French citizens, and are not electors.

The former Protectorate has been restored to the Colony, but with a separate budget. The total population of Senegal in 1920 was put at 1,204,113 (including 4,113 Europeans), and the area 74,112 sq. miles.

The Colony is represented in the French Parliament by a deputy. The budget of the directly administered territory provided for 1920, 4,675,680 francs. The local budget for 1920 was 13,357", 085 francs.

All towns having a sufficiently numerous European or assimilated native population have urban schools giving the same instruction as the French primary schools, modified to suit local requirements. At Dakar there are grouped superior technical schools common to all the colonies, normal school, professional school, commercial and administrative school, a school of medicine. At St. Louis are a secondary school, a superior primary school, a professional school for interpreters, kaids (native judges), and chiefs sons. There is a large hospital for natives at Dakar.

The soil is generally sandy. The natives cultivate ground-nuts, millet, maize, and some rice ; other products are castor beans, some coco-nuts, gum from Mauritania, and rubber from the Casamance river. Ground-nuts form the bulk of the exports. A salt industry is being developed.

Native industries comprise weaving, pottery, brick-making and jewellery.

The chief imports are cottons, foodstuffs, metal-work, coal The chief exports aTe pea-nuts (247,672 tons in 1919), hides and skins, rubber and gams.

There are 1,494 miles of telegraph and about 100 miles of telephone lines.

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