Below is the third of Ken Stone's writings about Sierra Leone. This article was written in approximately 2003, looking back to the 1920s, and makes very interesting reading.

SIERRA LEONE IN THE 1920s

I recently wrote about a book published in 1924 entitled Sierra Leone, for Civil Servants, trading companies and others with an interest in the country. As I opened the book to give you a further insight into Sierra Leone nearly 80 years ago, I noticed on the fly leaf a customs receipt dated 22 April 1925. So my book was actually used in Sierra Leone! But why should duty be payable on a book?

Trading Information

WEIGHTS and MEASURES. Imperial measures were used, and it is interesting that the bushel and half-bushel were compulsory in transactions involving purchase for export or sale of native produce. You may have heard that foods, sold by street traders, such as rice are measured by the “cup”. It has no legal sanction, but is in common use throughout the country. In 1924 the “cup” used was the Capstan or Virginian cigarette tin. In more recent times I have noticed that empty evaporated milk tins are used as “cups”.

TRADE. Both then as now Sierra Leone had very little manufacturing industry or food processing. Imports did not exceed exports by much, and by far the main EXPORT component was the oil palm. Thousands of tons of PALM KERNELS valued at about £1,000,000 were exported (97% to the U.K.) and some palm oil. More palm oil would have been sold abroad but for the large quantity consumed by the local population for whom it is an important part of the diet. The other main exports were GINGER and KOLA NUTS.

Today, of course, the value of minerals far exceeds that of agricultural products exported.

So what did Sierra Leone IMPORT? Let me quote some commodities from the book:

COTTON PIECE -GOODS (value £480,000) From the U.K. The lowest qualities of shirting, blue bafts, brocades white and coloured, grey bafts and delvas, drills, woven checks and stripes, real and imitation Madras handkerchiefs.

CLOTHING (value £65,000) Then as now, in such a hot country, the clothes of the people were simple. Imports were mostly for the British who lived and worked there, including cream, flannel and tweed trousers, underwear, and woollen and cotton caps. Fancy though, straw hats were imported for the local people!

Other textile goods: STOCKINGS and SOCKS were brought in of silk, cashmere and cotton, “mostly for Europeans and educated Africans.”

COTTON BLANKETS: Lowest possible quality. In white with red and blue stripes.

YARN in bundles of 24 packets, TOWELS and SEWING COTTON.

CEMENT (value £25,000) Mostly Portland cement in 400 lb. barrels.

CORRUGATED IRON SHEETS (value £3,000) From the U.K.

“Modern and better class houses are usually built of cement blocks with corrugated iron roofs.” This remains true today, but in many of the villages buildings are made of mud blocks with thatched or iron roofs.

MOTOR CARS and MOTORCYCLES. (value £2,000). “Mainly from the U.K., but most cars in use are American. Total number of cars in the colony - 175; Motorcycles -105.”  How different from today, when most of the many thousands of vehicles are imported from the  Far East. Motorcycles have made a return in recent times, being used as personal “taxis” as they can weave through the traffic jams.

PAINT (value £2,850). “Cheapest quality for trade”.

POTATOES and ONIONS (value £14,600) from the U.K., Canary Islands and France. Nowadays the potatoes are known as “Irish potatoes” and onions are grown locally.

FLOUR (value £31,000) from the U.K. and the USA. In barrels and bags of 196 lbs.

UMBRELLAS (value £5,000). 24,686 were imported in 1923.

TOBACCO (value manufactured £19,400, unmanufactured £107,400). Significantly only cotton cloth had a higher value.

I hope this gives you an idea of the economy in the 1920s.

Kenneth B. Stone