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The British Central Africa Company Ltd was one of the four largest European-owned companies that operated in colonial Nyasaland, now Malawi. The company was incorporated in 1902 to acquire the business interests that Eugene Sharrer, an early settler and entrepreneur, had developed in the British Central Africa Protectorate. Sharrer became the majority shareholder of the company on its foundation. 〔C Baker, (1993). Seeds of Trouble, pp. 5, 80-1. 〕 The company initially had trading and transport interests, but these were sold by the 1930s. For most of the colonial period, its extensive estates produced cotton, tobacco or tea but the British Central Africa Company Ltd developed the reputation of being a harsh and exploitative landlord whose relations with its tenants were poor. 〔M Vaughan (1987). The Story of an African Famine, pp. 61, 64, 73.〕〔R Palmer, (1986). Working Conditions and Worker Responses on the Nyasaland Tea Estates, 1930-1953, pp. 119, 121-2, 126. 〕 In 1962, shortly before independence, the company sold most of its undeveloped land to the Nyasaland government,〔J McCracken, (2012). A History of Malawi, 1859-1966, pp. 393〕 but it retained some plantations and two tea factories. It changed its name to The Central Africa Company Ltd and was acquired by the Lonrho group, both in 1964. 〔Tom Bower, (1993). Tiny Rowland: A Rebel Tycoon. p.75.〕 ==Corporate History== The British Central Africa Company Ltd was said to be "of London", implying that it was once registered in England, but no current English registration can now be traced. 〔J Telford (1987). The life story of John Telford: Footprints in the Sands of my Time, p.17. 〕〔Companies House website http://wck2.companieshouse.gov.uk//companysearch?disp=1&frfsh=1360521787&#result〕 The company’s name was changed to The Central Africa Company Ltd and it became a subsidiary of Lonrho (Malawi) Ltd in 1964. The original Malawi headquarters of the company were at the Kabula Stores Ltd offices and warehouses on Kabula Hill, part of one of Eugene Sharrer’s estates. The company moved from Kabula to Limbe around the time of the opening of the Shire Highlands Railway to Limbe. The company’s base is still in Limbe and the company is still in existence. 〔J Lamport-Stokes (1983). Blantyre's Early Buildings, p. 39. 〕〔Europa Publications (2003). Africa South of the Sahara 32nd Edition, p.632.〕 Lonrho sold the Central Africa Company Ltd to African Plantations Corporation in June 1997. 〔See Industrial Relations Court of Malawi http://www.malawilii.org/mw/judgment/industrial-relations-court/2010/3〕 ==Predecessor== Eugene Sharrer, who was described as an archetypal colonial outsider, arrived in Central Africa in 1888 and soon began working in the ivory trade. 〔J McCraken, (2012) A History of Malawi, 1859-1966, pp. 50, 78.〕 His trading venture developed into the wholesale and retail business of Kubula Stores Ltd, and he diversified by acquiring large landholdings and building up a successful farming business.〔W H J Rangeley (1958). The Origins of the Principal Street Names of Blantyre and Limbe, pp. 46-7.〕 Sharrer also built up and operated one of the fleets of steamers on the Zambezi and Shire rivers through the Sharrer's Zambezi Traffic Company Ltd. These rivers formed the main route into British Central Africa, and to improve transport links, he promoted the development of the first railway in the country, whose construction was agreed in 1902. 〔S.Tenney and N K Humphreys, (2011). Historical Dictionary of the International Monetary Fund, p. 359.〕 Shortly after this, he left Africa permanently for London, although he retained his financial interests there. 〔C Baker, (1993). Seeds of Trouble, p. 87.〕 ==Trading== The British Central Africa Company Ltd took over Sharrer’s Kubula Stores Ltd in 1902. This was one of several European-owned firms engaged in general wholesale and retail trading. The largest of these was Mandala, owned by the African Lakes Corporation which, in addition to its main urban stores, had opened a chain of around 50 rural retail stores. After the First World War, Kubula Stores was the main rival to Mandala but it largely failed to penetrate the rural areas. 〔J McCraken, (2012). A History of Malawi, 1859-1966 p. 178. 〕 The Kubula Stores business was sold to the African Lakes Corporation in the 1920s and the Kubula Stores Ltd company was struck-off the Register of Companies in 1943. 〔〔The London Gazette, 30 April 1943, p. 1965 http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/35998/pages/1965/page.pdf〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「British Central Africa Company」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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