Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-03-15
TOEYPLO|T THE K0NCO
Party Sails to Open the Way For
Large American Capital.
ETC AFRICAN UNDERTAKING.

Will Employ Native Labor In Mining
and Rubber Industries - Plan 10
Properly House and Feed the Ne
eroes-WilI Teach Use Of Money.
A party which has just sailed on tho
Kaiser Wilhelm der Crosse with the
Kungn Free state rs It's ultimate DIES
tinaiion will prepare for the largest
American investment that has ever
been made IA Africa. if not in the
world. The party Is sent out by
Thomas +. Ryan. the MesSrS. Guggen-
helm and their associates In the com
pauics organized tu exploit the rubber,
mining and railroad concessions which
We're granted last fall by King Leo
pold aud the Belgian parliament. says
the New YORK sun The members Of
the party will remain In the kongO
eighteen months. Long before the eX-
piratiun of this time. il Is expected.
mining operations and the manutac-
ture of rubber will lie undertaken on Il
considerable scale
S l.. Werner, general manager Of the
American kuugO company. and \.
Chester l;ratty, the wei known min
ing engineer of the t+u42cnheim TX.
ploratiJu company, have charge of the
expedition. Mr.. NcIner has had twelve
years business experience IN the kon
20 Free State ana was special com
missioner of the country To the 81.
Louis exposition. The party will hc
augmented ut CherbOurg by men who
have ha experience In the kOngu.
some of whom will he selected by Bel.
giau stockholders of the concession
airc companies.
The h 'adquarterS of the expedition
for several months after its arrival nj
least will be leDpqllville. on Stanley
pool. From this point long trips will
he made into the country for the pur
pose of selecting favorable locations
for settlement and the setting up Of
such machinery aS will he required
This work nf exploration will take up
IT Is thought. great deal of the cue
rent year. The expedition will follow
the river AMI rail routes rs much as
possible. When off these routes the
leaders will cndpavur with the assist.
anCe Of native gui les 10 follow such
routes rs wonld he practicable for rail
road construction. for 1t is proposed TO
construct such rail lines rs may appear
necessary to move economically the
products Of the country.
"AS soon as center for the rubber
or the mining industry Is located" Mr..
Werner said. we propose to make ar
Engagements for the proper housing.
feeding and in general the health and
comfort of the natives we expect to
employ there We shall. of course. de-
pend principally ON native labor. for
no other is or can readily he acclmat.
ed. ON tho question of the treatment
of the lahorerS, concerning which there
has been wide public notoriety. Wa
have spent more time than on any
thing else We are confident that we
have reached the best solution possible.
One of the great troubles not only
in the kongo, but elsewhere in euua-
torial Africa, has been that the IA.
tives have been left too much to them
selves. They are as improvident ms
possible and never have been taught
TO make provision for Il season ahead.
We don't expect that we can teach
them to look out for II rainy day. but
at any rate We are going to make pro.
vision for all their needs.
In order to make food plentiful and
certain"we propose TO start plantations
near every center of the Industries
Corn. plantain, bananas, potatoes, peas.
beans ANA other fruits and vegetables
can he raised very easily, and before
and other work is attempted we will
see to 1t that there is enough of the
sort OF food to which the natives are
accustomed to satisfy their desires.
We will organize regular fisheries. an,
because food does not keep very we'll
in that climate we will have canning
factories and preserve not ONLY fruits
vegetables and fish, but perhaps such
delicacies as elephant and hippopota
mus.
IF the natives are assured that If
they work a certain number of hours
they can get all they want to eat, n fair
quantity of clothing and trinkets ana
healthful surroundings there will he no
scarcity of labor or trouble with tle
natives. myself have seen little of
the atrocities reported to have been
committed in the Kongo and have .ong
been inclined to discount the renorts
but you may take it for granted that
we certainly believe a whole. healthy
and contented native vastly superior MS
workman to one dismembered. stary.
ed or rebellous."
MI Werner added that the natives
nave little conception of Il circulating
medium. Generally they have been
pad III food. trinkcts and articles of
clothing. 1t is the intention of the
to advance the use of
coinage among them us rapidly as pos.
siole. This, Mr.. Werner said, would be
done for mutual benefit.
oklahoma's Supreme Law.