 The French granted the chiefs significantly less power than had their German predecessors . Atangana 's major role was simple : to enforce the dictats of French rule . Governor General Van Vollenhoven wrote in 1917 that , " the chiefs have no power of their own of any kind because there are not two authorities in the circle : French authority and indigenous authority ; there is only one . Only the commander of the circle commands . " As a colonial administrator , Atangana was expected to collect taxes , help the French introduce cocoa and coffee plantations , and mobilise chiefs to secure the labour to work these estates . In 1924 , the French introduced a requisition system to procure food for the Yaoundé urban community and for rail labourers ; Atangana was responsible for rallying the chiefs to gather the necessary provisions from rural farmers ; the exact methods used by the chiefs was left to them . Cocoa production in the South and Centre provinces increased even during the Great Depression , partially as a result of these efforts . He reorganised the chiefs and their duties and tried to Westernise his subjects by encouraging them to wear European @-@ style clothing , use new building methods and house styles , and work to improve roads . 
