The kola business has been developed con siderably by the natives and every day sees a more and more extensive use of it since the con sumption of alcohol is no longer permitted on account of the growing prevalence of Islamitic beliefs. It is exported to Europe in ever-increas ing quantities, as fresh fruit, to be consumed mostly in the form of extracts or wine tonics. In the year 1913 Dahomey exported 21,808 kilo grammes (47,977 pounds), and the Ivory Coast 24,090 kilogrammes (52,998 pounds).
Karite is found practically all over the West African possessions but principally in Upper Senegal and Niger, which, by the Railway and the river Senegal, makes large exportations of this fatty matter extracted on the spot by the natives. The exportation of karete butter reached, in 1913, for Dahomey 169,841 kilogrammes (373,650 pounds), for Upper Senegal and Niger 27,565 kilogrammes (60,643 pounds), for the Ivory Coast 8,787 kilogrammes (19,331 pounds), and for Guinea 3,899 kilogrammes (19,331 pounds). The ex portation of karite almonds from Upper Senegal and Niger, exclusively reached 474,624 kilo grammes (1,044,172 pounds).
Finally, gums, exuded by different trees of the acacia genus, are concentrated at, and dis patched from, one place, i.e., Saint Louis, from whence it is all shipped to France, the port of destination being Bordeaux. The exportation for 1913, for Senegal, amounted to 2,943,379 kilogrammes (3,238 tons), and for Upper Sene gal and Niger 532,157 kilogrammes (585 tons).
Cattle breeding plays an important role, and is destined to play even a greater one, in the prosperity of the West African colonies. It is therefore necessary to encourage this in dustry in countries where 1-hor i- scarce, and with a view of procuring on the spot the neces sary cattle for food for the European and the native. The principal centres are Senegal, the Sudan, Guinea and Dahomey, where horses, asses and bovidie are found. The bovidx are found more especially in Mauretania and Sudan Sahara. The raw skins of oxen, sheep and goat form an important exportation; in the year 1913 exports amounted to 1,010,743 kilo grammes (2,2.23,034 pounds) for Guinea, 802, 931 kilogrammes (1,766,448 pounds) for Sene gal, 211,405 kilogrammes (465,091 pounds) for Upper Senegal and Niger, and 50,333 kilo grammes (110,732 pounds) for the Ivory Coast. The trade in wool from Macina (Upper Senegal-Niger) is relatively recent, but it is beginning, however, to be put on a proper com mercial basis, and its exportation amounts to 250,000 kilogrammes (550,000 pounds). Certain wild birds (ostriches, herons, marabouts) furnish valuable feathers. Wax is prepared in Gambia, Casamanca, Boubdou and the sur roundings of Thies and its exportation ex ceeded 180,000 kilogrammes (396,000 pounds) in 1913. The foregoing enumeration of the principal agricultural, forestral and animal products of French West Africa will give an idea of the variety of cultivation in the West African colonies, but although confidence can be placed in the future agricultural develop ment of the colonies it must be recognized that no industry at present exists there in the real meaning of the word.
The West African colonies are far from being known from the of view of geology and mineralogy, despite the highly scientific work of M. Hubert. The raw materials prin
cipally exploited are gold and salt. Gat./ is found in Upper Senegal where its production is estimated at approximately 800,000 francs ($160,000) yearly, and in Upper Guinea and the Bambouk region where gold from Faleme and Galam has been exploited since 1858 by the government. In 1913 the exportation of gold for of colonies amounted to 255,635 francs ($51,127). Salt is of two kinds: sea salt from the coast where the Gandiole salines constitute a fairly important output for Senegal; rock salt from the interior to the north of the town of Timbuktoo. Each year there enters into Upper Senegal-Niger, emanating from the Sabel and Sahara, an average of 80,000 bars of salt. The mining industries of this group of colonies have been the object of special legislation both as regards prospecting and operation of mines.
The fishing industry ranks next to the min eral industry. Fishing is at present practised over the entire west coast, but more particularly in Senegal and Dahomey. The coasts of Sene gal and Mauretania have long ago been recog nized for their ichthyological richness; the re sults of the efforts made to develop the fishing industry at the Levrier Bay are now an 'ac complished fact; French fishermen are in terested in fresh fish and the crustacea to send to France, and the dry fish for African con sumption. The exportation of dry fish, salted or smoked, reached 575,354 kilogrammes (1,265,778 pounds) in 1913. But it is not merely sufficient for West Africa to be abundantly provided from an agricultural point of view and for its soil to be stocked with riches. If the commercial movement of the colony has made rapid progress and if the financial situa tion of French West Africa has constantly im proved of late years, the cause should be looked for in the persevering efforts made by the local administration to furnish this group of colonies with the necessary economical equip ment for their proper development. The ports have been improved, the railways from Daker to Saint Louis, from Thies to Kayes, from Kayes to the Niger, have been constructed as well as the railways in Guinea, the Ivory Coast and Dahomey. It will therefore be seen that the dominating idea of the governor-general has been to open up lines of communication and to practise the policy of penetration by rail ways. The results have been excellent inas much as the general commerce, which in 1895, i.e., at the time the general government was created, amounted to 78,777,356 francs ($15,• 755,471), reached 10 years later 155,592,303 francs ($31,118,460). In 1913, the last normal year, the figure amounted to 277,718,152 francs ($55,543,636), made up as follows: 151,574,300 francs ($30,314,800), in importations and 126, 143,852 francs ($25,228,770) exportations. The figure fell in 1914 to 233,928,780 and in 1915 to 225,484,917 francs ( 5,096,983). For 1916 a total of 300,013,474 francs ($60,002,694) is estimated, made up as 172,137,615 francs ($34,427,523) for importa tions and 127,875,859 francs ($25,575,171) for exportations.