Word: liberian
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...Thus U. S. industrialism went to Africa, in the person of white-belmeted, soft-spoken Harvey Samuel Firestone Jr.. with engineers, chemists, physicians, builders. The Firestones chose Liberia for the first all-American rubber plantation. With typical U. S. efficiency, the groundwork was laid by refinancing the shiftless Liberian government, then obtaining the right to plant rubber trees over an area of 1,000,000 acres. With typical U. S. generosity, Mr. Firestone paid more than the average African wage. Liberian blacks receive 25? a day, in cash. Last week, the Mandates Commission of the League of Nations...
Rubber, like other commodities, enjoys an elastic market. But potent manufacturers who buy raw rubber (like Harvey Samuel Firestone and Henry Ford) would rather raise it than stretch for it. In 1926, Mr. Firestone bought 1,000,000 acres in Liberian jungleland from which, in nine years, he will get his own rubber for his own tires. Now Mr. Firestone's close friend, Henry Ford, has adopted a similar policy...
...Monrovia, Liberian capital, it became known last week that Mr. Francis had been for 19 years employed as a legal assistant for the Northern Pacific railroad. In 1924 he was chairman of the Colored Division of the Republican National Committee. "Ah," thought many Liberians, "Minister Francis has deserved honorably and well of President Coolidge...
Thus it happened that Firestone Plantations, Ltd. of Akron (Ohio), London and Singapore was confirmed by the Liberian Congress last week, in its 99-year lease on 1,000,000 acres of land suitable for rubber production and 200,000 acres planted 16 years ago and now in full production. To reclaim the 1,000,000 acres of present Firestone jungle, 350,000 Liberians will be needed at a cost of $100,000,000. The tracts if fully developed should produce 400,000,000 pounds of rubber annually? about half the rubber consumed this year...
Already the Firestones have been working their plantation for over a year under a tentative agreement (TIME, Oct. 26, 1925) with the Liberian Government. Young Harvey Firestone Jr. (Princeton '20) has largely engineered the groundwork of this vast project. Recently he surveyed the Philippines for further rubber possibilities, told President Coolidge at White Pine Camp (TIME, Aug. 16) that "in 15 years the United States could become independent of the British Rubber monopoly" if Philippine land laws are modified to encourage U. S. investments there...