Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

i- . THURSDAY, FEBRUARY #, 1928. THE BARNWELL PEOPLE-SENTINEL, BARNWELL, SOUTH CAROLINA ''■v - PACE TftRER DEMAND FOR ROBBER OPENS Progress of Plan to * Create Our Own Source % W ^ f^n^uiLlUW.- —» of Supply in Liberia Foreshadows rr. Freedom from Foreign Control <r * f __ The business of building a n6w empire in Africa is well advanced. American energy and American methods are converting one corner of that primitive world into something like a miniature America. Before long the far land of Liberia «|will have modern schools, power plants, motor roads, chain stores and other familiar institutions of American life. Already our movies afford the natives a- glimpse of us at home. Engineers, agricultural specialists, medical men and more of many crafts make up this army of empire builders. All pf this is possible because, for the first time in the march of the centuries, organized progress has come to a Jand that endures almost as. it was in the beginning* Even the name of Liberia falls strangely upon the ear in this hurrying world of ours. But the man with a smattering of his geography still in mind- will recall that the country lies a degree or two above the equator, almost at the western tip of Africa. If his history is as clear as his geography he will remember that Liberia was the first and continues to be the greatest of the" negro re publics. Colonized a hundred years ago by some of our freed slaves, it was soon to become the scene of the black Plan's original experiment in self government. That he has justified many hopes is proved by the position of Ciberia today, a country stirred by the touch of Western progress. Its resources are a guarantee of future development. Politically it is welKestablished. When the League of Nations convenes Liberia has a seat at the round table. Relations with our own country have been especially close; in fact Liberia looks to America as its best friend. But in spite of old ties and natural friend ship, we never topk an active part in Liberian develop ment until the last year or two. Thus the little republic founded tinder such stress has gone along its way, doing as best it might. Be- jHnningL with nothing, a great deal has been accomplished. Descendants of the colonizers have brought a measure of civilization to the 2.d00,-~ 000 natives. But the task was a huge oneindeed and progress limited to the means at hand. Doubtless the history of Liberia, of all western Africa, would have continued its alow evolution if the needs of mod- ®rn America had not turned interest^ that way. Indirectly UrtT automobile'/was destined to alter the course of his tory. With the automobile came the world need for rubber. Although this precious substance was first* found in the Amazon valley, control and development long since passed to the Middle East, where British and Butch planters now raise practically the whole supply. In an effort to ^corner" this supply the British gov ernment passed a restriction measure that has cost the American automo- 'bilist untold rfrillions since 1922. Apparently there was no means of Telief; certainly no early relief. It takes five years for a rubber tree to ibecome productive and such trees can 4 cultivated only within a few de- s of the equator. Seemingly the .American consumer could do nothinp ibut pay the bill. Yet there was some- thing that might be done. , Harvey S Firestone, president of the Firestone Tire A. Rubber Company, sat down in his private office at Akron, Ohio, and / Above—500 natives who heard about the Firestone development and walked from the interior for 10 days to obtain work on a Firestone Plantation. They have juet been examined and vaccinated by doctors and are ready to go to work. Left—Liberia’s place in Africa and (in the smaller map) the Firetsone concessions, which are indicated by the black areas. tion, at Cape Palmas, twenty- five miles inland on the Cavalla River. Although the average cleared and the organization en gaged is somewhat smaller this operation practically duplicates the other. Additional planta- tion will be established and each time there must be stores, power plants, hospitals and all the other es sentials of ilfe—created in the wild erness. With both of the new plantations rivers, but considerably removed so far with such good brtune. We may in stantly recall the first 'ailure at the Panama Canal, followed by the struggle of later years ater years to complete the big ditch.” Or we may, think of the first tunnel under the Alps.' We have ,yet fresh in mind our 'difficulties in Inspecting opening up of groove in rubber tree to facilitate flow of Latex. # wondered now he should/ undertake ithe job. / Mr. Firestone was one of the pio- [neers in tire manufacture. He prob ably knows as niucb about the Sub ject as any other, man. And he rea soned that the increasing need for rubber meant/complete surrender to foreign growers unless a new source could be found. But how to find it? The amwer involved a world search of mor/than two years, which ended An Liberia. Climate, soil, govern ment, people—everything invited to the biggest industrial enterprise [known to western Africa. It really is /iruch more than that—the conversion iof the primitive. In thi* way the empire builders ^turned eastward, instead of westward, as the course of empire has been said to travel. They were a force of young men, carrying surveyors’ chains; of young doctors, bearing their instru ments; of experta-fn soils,- digging everywhere: ^mf trained “rubber •men” and every trade reeded to hew \ the empire from its pristine fastness Surely American business never Fnew a richer romance. Not since the •winning of the west have we engaged 3n such an enterprise. Where the j west was won by many men, a genera tion of menr engaged in a national ef fort, the new empire is to be the crea- - tion of a single organization. ' Once convinced Liberia met Ameri can needs Mr. firestone launched the undertaking with a vigor that has ac- aomplished modi is a abort time. The beginning was not made xithout omi nous predictions. Voices overseas and at home pronounced the climate “im possible,” the labor supply undepend able, the plan visionary. Yet the facts were plain enough. Climate soil, government, people, vjere friend ly. Only that long five years lay be tween the first planting and the first rubber. Then the Firestone planta tions would be a whole month nearer to New York than the Middle'East rubber ports. An American-owned American-raised supply would replace one arbitrarily controlled, subject tr foreign dictation at any time. It is now almost two yehrs sinrr the rubber pioneers went into Africa They took over 2jC).()0 acres qf trees planted some years, before, a tion that his yteld«d'*Wefl. from one another, it became neces- ' f sary to join their activities by water transportation. The first of the Fire stone fleet is the Duvalla, a hundred- foot schooner to ply nlohg the coast. Others will follow as needed and the day seems not far distant^ when trans-Atlantic service oust he opened. Progress * has arrived in Liberia; the past gives way rapidly to th6 present The stafT o.f_Americans carrying on I this empire building has direction of American sta.T has a recreation fi eld 15 000 natives, a number certain to be and comfortable quarters, ilving in |areelsr increased ,8 the work has the counterpart of American bunga- hardlv T^gun. Every article used in lows, transplanted to Africa. A ^o»-j aevelopment up to this time has been anm This small acreage merely proved the possibili ties of the Liberian concession, grant ing 1,000,000 acres anywhere in thr republic’s boundaries The real tas^ was t© locate suitable plantations and. get them started toward cultivation The statement conveys no hint of the difficulties. We must think of a country without railroads, highways or river craft big enough to serve any worth while purpose. A few mile* from the coast lies the iungle; the jungle that was iri^ the beginning of time, a place of mystery, vast depths unknown things. It even encroaches down to the coast, swatting the white man, ready to mock him. - 1 Into this iungle went The “rubber men.” They ventured two years ago but the span of their effort i« hardly longer than a year. And - monumen tal year It- had been, filled with achievement, golden in promise. So far they have established two planta tions. One of them includes f>0.00(» acres about forty miles •from the Li berian capita] of Monrovie. a city named for our own President, Jam«* Monroe. This plantation on the Du River has. y flourishing American town as Its center. The visitor 1 might think himself in any typical western camp of the “boom” days. But it is rather better than* a “boom” camp. A central pow er plant supplies light end current end operates, a refrigeration and pumping system for the o«*»raunlty. The pital serves American and native workers; hygiene goes hand in hand with industry. Here it is that the American staff comes in the evening to read last month’s papers and talk about home. But their new home is I % T • . \ • not so very different from those left behind in America. It is not hard to foresee gravel streets and traffic po licemen for this town by the Du. A1 r eady a system of chain stores oper. ated in connection with the larger °nterprise supplies every need tha 1 •me may have in a far land. Thing* like American soap, tooth paste matches that really strike, with hun dreds of other incidentals necessary to < the art of living, can be bought over the counter on the Du as easily as on Main Street. In the past Li beria’s cost of living has been some what high. English and Dutch trad ers have set the prices just about as they pleased and always with a lib eral profit to themselves. The new stores will soon make it possible tc buy almost an> ordinary article a* American prices. This intervention ?»a^ been of wide benefit to the Li : hefcmn population. Laying out a rubber plantation in volves more human effort than am simple description could convey. First the land must be cleared of its great old trees and" undergrowth. Then comes the burning and the stumping —just *s a farmer Hears new ground Next the ground must be levelled and prepared for planting After over coming these varied difficulties the American forces have planted 15,000 acres within the year, a> record for any organization in any country. Five years from this writing the rubber seedings will be sizable trees, an the rubber fluid (latex) will soon be converted into tires for the Ameri can automobilist, right from his own farm, so to ipe^k. Next year it 5s hoped to .*uise the record several notches higher. But how many year* will bs required to lant l.OO/KOOO acres ia a matter that nobody guesses about The point of Importance was planting the first 15.000*—a Ion* step toward the greater gnel.' About 150 miles from tfi# Du plan tation ia tha sacond big field of opera- transported thousands of miles Scarcely x tool could be bought in the country. Each nail and screw had to be brought from home. In the work of hygiene these problems a»*e multi- olied and intensified. Everyone knows that tropical countries have ’arge quota of diseases. Liberia is * ' b •pore fortunate than many, though be set by commgn ailments. A Firestone 'mdowment fund granted to Harvard Hniversitv has made it possible for ^ A. W Sellards of the Tropica SrhooV of Medicine to study the Li berian problem. Instruction in hy giene, fever control, adequate hospi tals are in prospect. For some time American “mission aries have contributed largely to edu cation, as their funds and workers made it possible. But a comprehen sive plan was needed, beginning with the youngest voungster and advanc »ng to,the adult. Representative edn- "ators and organizations ".are co mierating to that end. Meanwhile the Firestone interests have sent an ev ''erienced vocational instructor to LI b«»ria for the nurposp of establishing •such education/ The present year should see the first of the trade schools founded. All observers agree that the Liber •an Native is reliable in character am quick to learn the white man’s wavs The possibilities of uplifting the na tive population are considered excen tionallv favorable. Each step lays its own special burdeb on the pioneer* Text ’hook’s have been prepared for elementary instruction, covering the nriittfples of physiology, arithmetic neology and a suggestion of history This instruction must he fitted to the native mind. Suppose w« should tell a native child that T ack Frost came in the night and blew his breath on the window pane.. That would he • mean ingless bit of' pleasantry as the Li berian youngster oevet heard of .lack Frost or savg'hfs breath frosted on the glass or even a window pane Itself.* One by one these difficulties are be ing overcome. $ardly any other en- 1 -rprist of this scope ever advanced t Mature rubber trees on Firestone Plantations in Liberia. A the Philippines, in Porto Rico. Never before has an American industry un-, dertaken foreign pioneering on any thing like this scale. It is empire building in the first person singular. This latter da> pioneering goes for ward in the way of a big business enterprise. It is just another depart- a ment of the industry- One of these days radio communication will be opened between Liberian plantations and the Akron factory. Then the head of the business may Well say to his operator, “Just get Mr. Jones for me if he is in his office down oh the Du.” If Mr. Jores himself cannot be transported by any sort of magic we know, yet his words, his thoughts, hi' personality can be whisked across those thousands of miles by the magic of the speaking wave. It is interesting to note that the Liberian government has emblrked upon a series of improvements, along with those, of private enterprise. The nioneerS, having laid miles of good roads and planning many more, are encouraged to find the government working upon a system , of its own Then we mag expect the busy motor or - to flit along African roads in the way that we see it on our own. This nublic and private co-operstion ex tends to education and public works of many kinds. The leaven Is at ^ork. .Liberia is on the move. Here, then, behold the miracle that -ubber wrought. If it had not bean f or the automobile there would have been no need of tires. Withont tires t* ere could have been no vast store of wealth in Fasten! «*ubh®r. Then we should have had r British re striction act and no ''ocasion to open ♦he latest emnire. But since each W these things had to he in the course of nronrress It bar brought muob good of hVhf. of the now dav to a far land During the week Harvey S. Fire- ston®. Jr., who has personal direction tv» Lihorian development, sailed oironmvia op a tour of inanectinn. ,f r F»r®ston® ®Toecta to return in nhnM* two months. »*eadv tr> carry on l "’ r 'ed®n th<» -nnderteVing. - While in Liberia.~ Mr Firestone ’’dll tr^jg»l hv the omnanv’s own abtn, viaitin** the a®v®T»fi) nlentfttinna and oth®r site* oonaiderod favorable for nl ,, ntin<r Tt Kn^od tr improve 1 ♦jnon the ro/'nnd of t9?7 in th> near to com* RnhhAr trees tlreadv set out in tha flrtt «t*<re p' oneration are renorted as making rardd nno^ress. ~h?rk pn^onrensos the Heiiaf that nro- dnofio^ *norn the traaa will eaaflv h*. rin wifhin tkp R-wenr pariod. The or®* in 100.7 was ahont 20.fW>0 srre« ’%n<K f ha 5.000 acres vet to he nlapted "dH annp come npdar mlt?va-.‘ Hon Other ertepaive areas, are to be cleared during the coming season and nlanting nushed forward with all noaaihle speed.' Mr. Firestone will not only inspect and organize the field force, but ex pects to give special attention to the task of supplying this force through the stores now being established. This later enterprise presents enough v problemo to keep any man busy, . It_ takes a nice judgment to know what sorts of hairpins should be ordered for the Liberian trade, along with tha thousand and pne articles demanded by natives, and Americans. As the stores develop their, plan, of operation^ - they will handle almost any article that can be bought "in a five and .ten- cent store at home, added to thou-^ sands of necessary articles sold by the hardware dealer, the druggist and the grocer. In effect, they will be .depart ment stores transplanted, on a smaller scale. , ' An effort to introduce hygiene and medicine also will come under Mr. Firestone’s attention. So far the un dertaking has been attended by little sickness among the white force and precautions will be taken to maintain this record. It is also hoped to im prove the surroundings of the native workers and to gradually Instruct them in benefits of sanitation. As they are a people quick to learn, this hope seems well’founded. The medi cal staff looks to the health of a)I hands-at all Mmes. Considered from any standpoj the Liberian development has well launched and the day of produc-! tjon on a broad scale is a matter of time. The steps taken, hiving been laid so far towards the goal. It only remains to intensify efforts and bring, every acre under cultivation that the field force is able to clear. That force will he increased in the next year as rapidly as the administrative staff can train and accommodate na tive workers. The 15.000 acres si- xdht.: Men ready planted should be measurably increased hriore another January. During M** Firestone’s stav over seas, he will 5 be accompanied bv a moving picture operator who is to; 4 ake a nature record of tbi« advew-* Hire in emnire building. Films will •«how a ran^e of Liberian activities; how the natives live and work, the character of the conntrv and the bin- gles. its towns and homes. Rubber oisnting In its manv •♦ages n^-ns an- otbor interesting suMeet. Glimpses of the countrv’s w*M lif* will be shown nnon the screen There are mountain* to he fllmef|. jungle rivers and their strange denisnos. the remote trihe* that have hardlv pjore than seen a white man. Here Is *** onoortnnf^v worthy of the camera. This old gloh* of our* has hut n *ew snots left where we can eneormter the orimitive. the unknown. Such a lend heeomen fascinating indeed when the ax of the nioneer is ringing only a step behind 1 th« movie operator. ^ When it Is remembered that Li beria’« zpologv. its nlants and trees, are almost nnknewn to jtcience, the„ value of such a film becomes appar ent. Heretofore the country has hot been examined to anv great extent because of remote situation and thff difficulty of penetrating its fastnesses. But the new dav Is bringing change* innumerable to Liberia. Before long it# name should be familiar wherever th* automobile goes, because a largo number of the American people will be riding upon Liberian rubber.