ABSTRACT
Modern Monrovia–the Commonwealth District of Monrovia, to give it its official title–is not really a town in the generally accepted sense of the word, but a conglomeration of settlements and communities which participate in varying degrees in a common social and economic structure. In 1958, civil servants and officials in Monrovia numbered about 3,000, and others on government pay, including labourers, a maximum of 2,000 in peak periods, making in all about 5,000 male and female employees of Government. However, a newcomer to Monrovia tends to come for assistance to relatives or other people from his home village or town, or at least to fellow-tribesmen. This has led to a considerable recent increase in the population of the tribal communities as well as to the formation of tribal clusters in other parts of the town. Paradoxically, Monrovia's citizens play an even smaller part in urban administration than do those of other townships and cities.
