82 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS [ 20.99 the epidermis stripped from the under-surface of the leaves of the same palm -tree that produces the piassava fibre. It has many uses. The natives collect it in quantities for their own purposes.

Raphia vinifera is common all over the Congo, as in most parts of tropical Africa, and the quality of the fibre is similar to the Madagascar product. In the Kasai and Bakuba country the making of mats and raised - pile cloths is a considerable native industry. Recently raphia fibre has increased in value owing to its military uses. The possible supplies from tropical West Africa are almost unlimited .

Rice . — The cultivation of rice in the Congo is almost confined to the Stanleyville - Ituri region, where the Kiswahili-speaking Arabisé natives clear annually large areas of forest, and grow hill or dry rice. This has a ready sale all over the upper Congo region, and is now shipped to the lower Congo. gress had been made during 1916, and it is note worthy that 5,000 tons of rice were supplied to General van Deventer for the use of the troops in East Africa. The policy of sending experts to teach the natives the best methods of rice cultivation has been highly successful, and now that the natives are assured of the sale of their crops at a good price, the output has been tripled.

Sugar.-Sugar-cane is grown in most districts, especially by the riverain people, and the production of molasses, or of Indian ‘ jaggery ’ , would be a very profitable industry, for all African natives are inordi nately fond of sugar.

Of animal products, apart from live-stock, the most important are silk and ivory.

Ivory . — Ivory was formerly one of the chief articles of export, and a Government monopoly. Before the war the export was still about 300 tons a year, but Great pro > >