The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-06-05
NOT ROBBED OF THE CONGO
Belgium Still Possesses Colony One
Fourth as Large as Europe

less than 300 square ni.;e5 Oi ter
ritory at home she is still possessed
of a colony one-fourth as large as all
! Europe together. 1t is larger than
the combined area of all the count
ries now at war, outside OF Russia.
That colony is the Belgian Congo.
with nearly million square miles of
territory
The empire is carved out of the
heart of equatorial Africa, and in
clude's within its confines one of the
worlds great rivers, the Congo, from
which the colony takes its name.
The river has a course of about 5000
miles, and, with its tributaries. offers
a wonderful system of communica-
ton for opening up the rich hinter-
land. 1t is estimated that there are
5000 miles of nayigable waters in the
colony. while the Congo river is nav
igable for ocean steamers for 100
miles upstream. Here follows Sec
ton of 200 miles of rapids, above
which the river is nayigable for 1900
miles
The work of exploiting the heart of
Africa has just begun. There has
been considerable difficulty in induc-
ing European colonists to emigrate
to these regions and begin new
homes First. the Congo has the evil
reputation of being no fit country for
the white man, and secondly, a feel
ing has existed that a permanent
home there meant permanent burial
without the pale of civilization.
Therefore, the promoters of the Con
80 have had to overcome a great un-
willingness among their people to ex-
change the comforts and certainties
OF the motherland for the questionab-
lie advantages of pioneering in the
wild, dark country which has sue
cessfully defied all progress for the
last ten thousand years.
Some advance, however, has been
made. and the future OF the colony
seems to be one of promise. Al
though the climate is generally hot
and moist, 1t is supportable by the
white man. The climate of the coast
lands is least endurable Tor the Eur
territory, normal temperatures range
between 60 and 80 degrees. Rain is
everywhere abundant. The extreme
heat of the day Is generally relieved
by sharp evening chill.
The white population of this land
remains still negligible The total
population has been estimated at
100000 in which are counted
mere 6000 whites The native popula-
ton, while overwhelmingly superior
in numbers, has been awed by the
white mans machine guns, railways,
steamboats, and telegraphs, and
forms a docile working body for the
Improvement Of the land More than
1900 miles of railway are in opera
tion and in course OF construction
Further. 1900 miles of telegraph com
munioation have been established.
8 wireless stations and some 30 post
Offices. Before the war there was reg
ular communication with Antwerp.
a steamer from that port calling ey
cry fortnight.
The agricultural possibilities OF
the Congo are great if modern meth
DDS OF sanitation finally open it up TO
and varied Among the products
now cultivated in its fields are coffee,
cotton, vans, papaws, pineapples,
casava, corn, rice, peanuts. beans,
bananas, tobacco, sorghum and kaiir
and corn. It's forests abound in rub
Der vines and the natives are employ
cd for the gathering of the rubber,
which forms the chief article of the
colony's export. Rich cabinet woods
are plentiful, and many import gums
and resins are collected. All of the
domestic animals thrive in this Afri-
can country. The list of native ami
mails include the elephant. hippopo-
tamus, buffalo. antelope chimpanzee,
rhinocerous and crocodile Slaughter
of elephants for their ivory has been
prohibited, though the ivory exports
are heavy coming chiefly from ma
tive aocumulations. OF the minerals,
large deposits of iron, tin and coal
occur, and some rich deposits of cop
per and gold are found in the south
east.
Palm kernel OIL. white opal, cocoa,
coffee, corn, lSola nuts, gold, ivory,
copper and raw-hides are the prod
ucts of export. The total trade of
the Congo is about s2S,00O,0OO. 1t is
about evenly divided between exports
and imports.
For many years. this territory, as
the Congo Free State first recogniz-
ed by the United States in 1884, main
tanned a neutrality-suspicious. under
the rule of Leopold of Belgium. 1t
was formally annexed to Belgium in
1910. It has an annual revenue of
about $S,000,00O and public debt of
more than SSO,0OO,0OO The colony
is defended by about $4,000 native
troops National Geographic Society
statement.
cHERRIE RETURNS TO VERMONT