The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-30
Territory Taken in German East Africa Twelve Times the Size of Belgian Terri tory Held by Germany in Europe.

Havre, France, Sept. 30.-With' the Belgian forces in East Africa fighting to complete the conquest of the last colony in the world where the Ger man flag still floats, the Belgian Min ister of Colonies M. Renkin, describ- ed the scope of the war in Africa
 Mr., Renkin is one of the first au- thorities in Europe on colonial af- fairs. The independence of the Con- go was brought about largely through him, and since then he has been, as Minister of Colonies, the directing spirit of the vast Congo establishment. with territory seventy times the size of Belgium, and an army of 1,200 Bel gian officers leading Congo native sol diers almost as great in number as the army of the United States. This is the black army. with only a creach- clout for uniform that has swept across German East Africa until all the rich northwest section-twelve times the size of the territory held by Germany in Be1gium-ds now held by the Belgians in the former German colony.
 M. Rankin was seen in his Colonial Office, established for the duration of the war in villa ct Ste. Addresse, a suburb of Havre, overlooking the sea.
 Speaking first of the way Belgian had been dragged into a war in Afri- ca by German attacks on the Congo" he said:
 "One cannot insist too much upon the point because it characterizes the constant policy of our nation, repect-
 
 foundly pacific, but indomitable when its right are violated. Belgium, who affirnfs so brilliantly her force in Africa, did all in her power to avoid the war: the documents published in the gray book relate this history
 "The general Act of Berlin of 1885 was entirely inspired by the desire to preserve Central Africa from vto- lent conflicts. The thought of its au- thors was that this part of the world ought to be reserved territory, where all nations contributed peacefully in the spreading of civilization by the propagation of the Christian faith and by honest commerce.
 Central Africa should be kept out side of armed conflicts between Euro pean States and, in this respect, Arti- cle II, of the Act of Berlin. specified that in the case where a power ex- ercising the rights of sovereignty or pretectorate in the countries mention ed in the' first article and placed .un- der the regime of commercial liberty, is involved in war, the high parties signing the present act and those who will consequently adhere thereto, en- gage to lend their good services so that the territories belonging to that power and included in the conven- tional zone of commercial liberty be, by the common consent of that power and of the other belligerent power or powers, placed for the duration of the war under the regime of neutrality and considered as belonging to a non- belligerent state; the belligerent par ties should denounce immediately the extension of the hostilities to the ter ritorias thus neutrahzed, as we'll as the making of them as a base for op- erations of war
 "As early as August 2, 1914, in those days of anguish when the Ger man aggression menaced even our ex- istence, Belgium did not lose sight of