purpose of working the alluvial tin deposits of Northern Nigeria, and
they were all promoted by this pioneer group, comprising Messrs. Walter
and Oliver Wethered, and Mr. S. R. Bastard. All these companies are
doing excellent work, and showing good results. After February of this
year others entered the field, and since March last a large number of
companies and syndicates have been registered and formed, several of
which are at work.
It was only to be expected that such brilliant results as these would
have the effect of inducing the more conservative firms to enter into the
fields of Northern Nigerian mineral enterprise, and now Messrs. Wernher,
Beit, the Consolidated Gold Fields of South Africa, Fanti Consolidated,
and many other leading groups of bankers and capitalists are represented
in the Bauchi Province.
THE INACCESSIBILITY OF THE FIELD
But while the prospecting and actual mining work being done on the Bauchi
field are establishing an ever-widening recognition of its mineral
wealth, its inaccessibility and the difficulties of transport, which
represent its chief drawbacks, have not yet been overcome, and it may be
opportune to explain here the methods of transport employed in the two
Nigerias, to describe the railway system, and to give some ideas of the
difficulties of carriage with which the mine owners of Northern Nigeria
have to contend.
Southern Nigeria, through which the Northern Protectorate is reached
from the coast, is covered with a network of waterways, which are the
natural transport roads of the entire region, and the Marine Department
is continually surveying old and overgrown streams and opening up new
river routes. It is possible, travelling by the Niger River from Forcados
to the confluence at Lokoja, and following from that point the Benue
River to Loko, to arrive within about 180 miles of Bauchi, or going by
rail from Lagos to Jebba, the present northern terminus of the line, to
get, as the crow flies, within 300 miles of that centre. The river route
is obviously the quickest and cheapest, and is the one still in use, the
natives carrying the tin in parcels of 60 lbs. weight on their heads from
the field to Loko, travelling about 15 miles a day. At Loko, the metal is
put into small steamers or barges, according to the season, and conveyed
to the confluence, where it is transferred to Niger boats and taken
to Forcados for shipment to Liverpool, the entire journey occupying
thirty-five days and costing £29 10s. per ton.
COST OF TRANSPORT
When the construction of the Kano Railway from Baro on the Niger to
railhead is opened, and the road connecting the railway to Bauchi is
made, the journey will be appreciably shortened. The completion of the
railway from Lagos in 1911 should further reduce it to about twenty-eight
days, and again when motors are available on the new road, to about three
weeks.
The cost per ton by the Forcados-Baro route will be:—
£ _s._ _d._
By sea to Forcados 2 0 0
Forcados to Baro by boat and by train from
Baro to railhead by cheapest rate 7 12 6
From railhead to tin field, about 9 0 0
-------------
£18 12 6
This will be increased when the maximum rate is charged, and will be
reduced when the motor transport on the new road is available.
THE RAILWAYS OF NIGERIA
The future cost and time of transport depends upon the completion of
the railway construction at present in hand, and the decision of the
Government with regard to the suggested new line to connect the tin
fields with some selected spot upon the Baro-Kano line of railway. The
Lagos railway to Jebba in Northern Nigeria is 307 miles in length, but
although the last constructed stretch of 60½ miles from Ilorin was only
opened in August last, the line has already been continued for some 50
miles beyond the Niger, and the balance of 70 miles to be completed to
Zungeru, the capital of Northern Nigeria, is expected to be finished
early in the coming year. By this route, when the connecting line from
Zungeru to the Baro-Kano railway is constructed, and the branch from the
latter railway to Bauchi is built, it will be possible to carry machinery
all the way from Lagos to the new field by train, and bring the metal
down to the port by the same service.
But although this Lagos railway, as it is still called, taps a fertile
and thickly populated country and connects the capital of the north with
the coast, it became, with the commencement of the new Baro-Kano line the
second, instead of the first, most important factor in the development of
Northern Nigeria. Until the year 1907 the Northern Protectorate possessed
in the way of railways but one light 2 feet 6 inch tramway of 22 miles
in length, which connected its capital, Zungeru, with Baro, the nearest
navigable point on the river.
It was in May 1907 that Sir Percy Girouard, the Governor, whose name had
already become famous in connection with his splendid railway work in the
Sudan and in South Africa, formulated the railway policy, and recommended
the construction by the Public Works Department of the Protectorate of
a 3 feet 6 inch gauge railway from Baro, on the Niger River, to Kano,
a distance of a little short of 400 miles, on an estimate of £3000 per
mile. In August of the same year the Imperial Government sanctioned the
construction of the proposed line.
At the same time the views of the administrative Southern Protectorate
were met by the extension of the Lagos line into Northern Nigeria, with
a connection to be established from Zungeru with the Baro-Kano railway,
making it possible to travel from Kano either all the way by rail to
the coast at Lagos, or by rail to Baro, and thence by river steamers
to the mouth of the Niger. It is expected that the bulk of the exports
will follow the line to Baro, and thence be carried to the sea by water
transport, but the Lagos line serves such a rich and well populated
country, that when the Port of Lagos has been rendered accessible by
the harbour improvements now in construction, the line should prove of
increasing economic value, quite apart from any trade it may attract from
the more easterly provinces of Northern Nigeria.
NEW LINE ADVOCATED
The Baro-Kano railway was put in hand at an extremely opportune time, and
it was while the work of construction was being rapidly pushed forward
that the discovery of tin in the Bauchi Province turned the thoughts
of railway construction in an easterly direction, and the continuous
and consistently rich finds which rewarded the efforts of prospectors
in this region called daily and hourly attention to its remoteness. At
first it was considered that the formation of a good road from Bauchi
to strike the Baro-Kano line about Zaria would suffice for the needs of
the field, but the extraordinary extent and richness of the deposits,
and the phenomenal success achieved by the Naraguta (Nigeria) Tin Mines,
Ltd., the Lucky Chance Mines, Ltd., and other companies at work there,
emphasised the self-evident fact that nothing less than a branch railway
would be sufficient to adequately develop the new industry. London
capitalists expressed their willingness to find the money to finance the
new line, but the question was, and still is, under the consideration of
the Colonial Office, and Sir Walter Egerton, the Governor of Southern
Nigeria, and Sir Hesketh Bell, the High Commissioner of Northern Nigeria,
and Sir William Wallace, the late acting Governor of that colony, all
strongly favour the construction of the line by the Government rather
than by private enterprise.
SIR WALTER EGERTON’S OPINIONS
Sir Walter Egerton, in an interview he granted to a Press representative
in June last, said: “Everybody believes the tin deposits to be very rich,
and if only half the reports concerning them are true, there is more than
enough to warrant the expenditure of making a branch to the tin fields
of the Province of Bauchi. This would give direct access from the sea
at Lagos to the tin fields. The reports show that the tin alluvial is
similar to that of the Malay Peninsula, which produces more than half the
tin of the world. Southern Nigeria has already lent the money required
for the construction of the railway to Kano, and it is a question
for the consideration of the Secretary of State whether we should
not also finance the building of the line to the tin areas. I should
think it would be a great advantage to Southern Nigeria to have such
communication, as a large traffic might be expected. If the Secretary
of State agrees, there is no reason to expect that there will be any
opposition in Southern Nigeria to financing the line, for the success of
the tin industry will have a wonderful effect not only on Northern, but
also on Southern Nigeria, for the Protectorates, though two politically,
are one geographically.”
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PROJECTED LINE
Since this interview was published it has been persistently rumoured that
the Government have decided to build the suggested line from a point
near Rigachiko, on the Baro-Kano line, to a place called Toro, between
120 and 130 miles distant, in the centre of the tin district, and midway
between Naraguta and Juga. The country which the line would traverse has
been surveyed, and a new road, 12 feet wide throughout, and capable of
conveying light motor traffic in the dry season is being constructed, and
will probably be completed before the end of the present year. But the
Government have not yet announced their decision, and it is doubtful,
although efforts have been made to induce them to divert the funds for
extending the line from Zaria to Kano for the purpose of the tin fields
branch, whether they can be persuaded to do so. It is believed, as Sir
Walter Egerton said, that if the Government acts on the recommendation
of the Governor of Northern Nigeria, the Government of Southern Nigeria
would be willing to undertake the construction of the line, and should
the Colonial Office decline to sanction the scheme, representatives of
several of the companies interested in the new tin field have expressed
their readiness to finance the railway.
As recently as October 22nd a meeting of representatives of the various
Northern Nigerian tin companies was held at the London Offices of the
Niger Company, when a general committee, to be named the Northern
Nigerian Mines Association, was formed, composed of a representative of
each of the companies, and a sub-committee, composed of Lord Scarborough,
Mr. S. R. Bastard, Mr. O. Wethered, Mr. Godfrey, and Mr. Berry was
appointed to deal with urgent business. The chief attention of this
meeting was naturally paid to the question of transport, and the first
business done was the passing of a resolution urging the Colonial Office
to construct the railway to the Bauchi tin fields as early as possible.
The Association decided on the appointment of a medical officer, and
they have, furthermore, given instructions for a hospital to be built on
the field at Joss. It will therefore be seen that everything possible is
being done to urge upon the Government the importance of pushing forward
this work, which will doubtless be taken seriously in hand before long.
VARIOUS OPINIONS
Everybody connected with the Protectorate or interested in the new tin
field is agreed as to the absolute necessity of constructing the line.
Mr. J. Tomson, the chief engineer of the Anglo-Continental Mines Company,
who recently returned to England after an extended tour in the Bauchi
district, declared that the difficulties of transport are at present
tremendous, but he is of opinion that they could best be overcome by
running a railway from Minna, a point on the Baro-Kano line to Naraguta,
the capital of Bauchi.
“Before I left,” said Mr. Tomson to a representative of the _Morning
Post_, “I had an interview with Sir Hesketh Bell, the Governor, and found
him most sympathetic towards the mining industry. He recognises that the
railway should be built to the tin fields as quickly as possible, but
of course it is a question of ways and means. If the Colonial Office
came to the rescue and made a special grant for laying the line, or else
allowed the united mining companies to construct it themselves, which
they are quite willing to do, all would be well. But it is important that
something should be done at once. If not, there is going to be a serious
difficulty over the food supply, because so many mining companies have
gone to the Bauchi district that the farmers are unable to cope with the
demand for food. With a railway to Minna and then along the line now
being laid to Zungeru, which connects up the Lagos railway and the line
from Baro, the ore would reach port in a few days.”
Mr. Beresford, the Secretary of the Administration of Northern Nigeria,
in an official letter written to a correspondent, discussing new means
of transport in the Protectorate, says:— “A survey for a road has just
been completed, and it has been found that the Rishi Pass is not a
practicable line, and it is considered that Toro or Tilde, and not
Liruei, should be the point of objective. It is hoped that by December
next a rough road, fit for carts or light motors, may be completed to
Toro _via_ the Gusu Pass, but the Governor is strongly of opinion that
nothing but a railway will suit the requirements of the tin fields, even
in the near future, and he hopes that it may be possible to find funds
for such a project.”
THE ROUTE DESCRIBED
When the work of seeing these pages through the press was nearing
completion, a letter arrived at the London offices of the Tin Fields
of Northern Nigeria, Ltd., from their engineer, Mr. Jerome J. Collins,
describing the means of transport from the coast to the seat of
operations in the Bauchi Province. The particulars, which are given from
personal experience of the journey, are both interesting and instructive,
as they are also the last word to hand on the subject, and the excerpts
which follow are published by the courtesy of the directors of the
company, by whom the letter was received.
Writing from Kogin Jarawa, under date September 13, Mr. Collins says:—
_Niger River Transport._—Forcados to Baro.
The distance is 407 miles. The Niger Company, Ltd., and the Government
run shallow draught steamers carrying passengers and cargo. The
Government steamers run a weekly service in connection with the mail
steamers from Liverpool. The Niger Company run steamers as inducement
offers.
The time occupied is about ten days by both services, but a great deal of
this time is taken up with stoppages at the various towns along the river.
The Government steamers are in a very bad state of repair, and much time
is lost owing to breakdowns. In the rainy season branch steamers travel
between the coast and Baro, at present carrying railway material. They
have facilities for handling heavy cargo.
The season extends from July to September.
The Government and Niger Company’s boats have no facilities for handling
heavy cargo, being limited to packages capable of being handled by native
labour, which is tedious and expensive.
The cost of transport by Government steamers for ordinary cargo from
Forcados to Baro is from 40s. to 60s., and down from Baro to Forcados is
from 21s. to 33s.
_Railway Transport._—Baro to Rigachiko.
The distance is 225 miles. The railway is not yet completed to Rigachiko,
where the Bauchi road starts, but I understand from railway officials
that the line will be through by next March, 1911. Railhead at present is
at Kogin Serikin Pawa, 172 miles from Baro, but rails are laid to within
fifteen miles of Rigachiko, and this part of the line will be ready as
soon as the bridges are completed.
The railway is 3 feet 6 inch gauge, and has been constructed with economy
always in view. Up to the present there is no ballast on the line, and
consequently there are serious delays during the rainy season owing to
derailment of engines and the washout of embankments. My journey from
Baro to railhead occupied fifteen days; the most of this time was lost
owing to breakdowns on the line.
The journey should occupy two days, and I have no doubt that by March
next it will be possible to get from Baro to Rigachiko in two days.
The freight on the line at present is 8s. per ton per mile, equal to £7
10s. per ton from Baro to Rigachiko, but at present the railway company
will not undertake to transport cargo unless it is accompanied, and even
then they will take no responsibility.
I understand that in the next year, when the railway is open to Zaria,
the freight will be reduced to 6s. per ton per mile, equal to £5 12s. 6d.
per ton from Baro to Rigachiko.
_Road Transport._—Rigachiko to Naraguta.
The distance is approximately 135 miles. On my journey across by this
road I took eight days, which is as quick as can be expected.
The Government engineers are clearing a track twelve feet wide, and
pulling out tree stumps. They are also grading down banks of creeks to
one in ten.
They are expending £20 per mile on this work, and have completed fifty
miles in two months.
This road track will come into the tin fields at Toro, twelve miles
north-east of Naraguta, and twelve miles west of the company’s property
at Federri. This track should be finished by the end of the year.
The country is flat and very easy for road building. There are four large
rivers to cross, which would require bridges of over 100 feet in length,
and numerous small creeks which could be bridged cheaply.
There is plenty of stone suitable for road ballast, available near
the road. When the road track is through to the tin fields it will be
possible to transport stores by carrier in seven days from railway.
It may be mentioned here that the Niger Company up to the present have
had great difficulty with the prospectors and others travelling up to the
tin fields, owing, in some cases, to their not having left themselves
entirely in the hands of the company. The Niger Company have practically
controlled the country, and have perfected arrangements by which they
can supply large numbers of natives for carrying goods from the river
to the tin field, but on several occasions their organisation has been
interfered with by persons offering the natives three or four times their
usual pay in order to get them through quickly to the fields. This, of
course, as will be seen, is a dangerous policy, for if a scale is not
strictly adhered to, the time will come when the natives will start
attempting to dictate their own terms.
The Niger Company are not in favour of the motor route from the head
of the Baro-Kano to the fields. Their opinion is that the money would
be wasted on such a road, and that the mining community should be
satisfied to wait until the railway is made. Their view is that the
mining companies should join together and come to an arrangement with
the Niger Company for carrying all the goods along their own route from
Loko to the field _via_ Keffi and Bukeru. This road, they say, could
be reserved for mining business, and they would open up another route,
starting from a point near Sinkai higher up the Benue River, which could
be used for ordinary commercial purposes. They point out that with the
rush of goods required for the mines, they have been unable to get up a
sufficient and proper supply of provisions. This question, of course,
requires careful consideration, as although the Niger Company wish to be
considered as offering this advice in a purely disinterested manner, it
should be remembered that they are asking for contracts for the whole of
the transport, which would enable them to employ thousands of natives at
a very low figure.
THE BAUCHI PROVINCE
Meantime the energetic prospecting and mining work that is being done in
the Province of Bauchi is establishing the fact that the new tin area is
of enormous extent and value both in the nature of alluvial gravels and
the more permanent form of tin lodes. Mr. Lush, the well-known mining
authority, who has examined a great part of the Province, estimates that
these deposits are scattered over an area of no less than 2,500 square
miles, and the tin produced is considered to be some of the best ever
imported into Europe, and commands a price equal, if not higher, than
the Straits tin. The land is situated about 3,000 to 4,000 feet above
sea-level, and the late Director of Mines in Northern Nigeria states that
the climate is equal to that of Rhodesia, if not even better.
“Few people have any idea,” Mr. Tomson asserts, “of the possibilities of
this country. It is quite a mistake to think it is unhealthy. Naraguta
is over 3,500 feet above the sea-level, and is a healthy and fertile
district. Here you are hundreds of miles away from the malarial swamps
and the coast. If you walk up out of the town of Naraguta on to rising
ground, as far as you can see stretch out great plains of waving grass,
here and there dotted with masses of the Fulani cattle. It would make
a splendid wheat-growing district, for the land requires very little
cultivation, and there is no bush country. Kano, which lies nearly two
hundred miles to the north, is a remarkable place. Several travellers
have stated that it is the largest market in the world.”
CLIMATE AND WATER
Mr. Huddart, until recently Director of Mines, who has declared that the
climate of Northern Nigeria is better than that of Rhodesia, and that the
country is without a single tsetse belt, says:
“The nights are quite cold, and any man who lives well ought to have
perfect health. I do not reckon it in the least like any other part of
West Africa; it is more like Eastern Soudan, and it is known as the
Western Soudan. With regard to water, which, as you know, is a very
important question, it is quite erroneous to imagine that there is
very little water here. In Northern Queensland and South-Eastern and
Western Australia there is much less water than here; in fact there is
no comparison between them. Mr. Lush and I—and I had the pleasure of
travelling with him—were never at any trouble in getting water, we never
had even to carry water, and those who have travelled know what that
means.”
In Nigeria they have only two well-defined seasons, the wet and the
dry season. The wet season lasts from April till the end of October,
and during that time it is very difficult to do any prospecting work,
although, of course, mining can be carried on in certain districts. It is
during the dry season, from the end of October to April, that most of the
work can be accomplished, especially from a prospector’s point of view.
LIVING AND PROVISIONS
Mr. Lush, writing on the subject of the cost of living and provisions,
says “living is cheap, there being plenty of beef, mutton, fowls, milk,
eggs, &c. Any kind of vegetable grows well, especially English varieties;
in fact very few mining fields that I have visited can be compared to
Northern Nigeria in respect of the various sorts of wholesome fresh
food that can be obtained. In fact all one requires is flour and a few
groceries. The country will provide the rest.”
LICENCES AND LEASES