The_Open_Door_deel1

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one man proposed a one-mile zone instead of one of three miles
(State Secretary Dennis), whereas three cabinet members did not
express themselves against the granting of such a right, but
argued that the use of this right should not be free and proposed
that the company should pay some compensation or royalty for the
use of timber, water, etc. in this zone (Treasury Secretary Dennis,
Postmaster General DeShield, and Interior Secretary Grigsby).
In the final agreement, however, no provision for any payment
under this right was made.
As BFG's main purpose concerned the establishing of a rubber
plantation a large minority of the eleven government officials
commenting on the draft concession agreement had opposed the
granting of any mining rights to the company. The granting of
exclusive mining rights to the company, in reality restricted to
the Development Area, was justified as a protective measure to
avoid others from exploiting the sub-soil which could damage the
plantings and subsequently would affect the company's interest.
As such it is understandable why BFG was anxious to eliminate this
possibility by reserving this right for itself. From the point of
view of the interest of the country, however, it is
disadvantageous to forfeit possible future revenues from mining
operations (provided the sub-soil were to contain valuable
minerals), and to give up the development of that potential for
eighty years, as well as to give exclusive rights to a company
without having stipulated the terms under which (even a possible)
extraction would be allowed.
By granting the exclusive use of timber, water, and other
materials found within the Development Area, and the (nonexclusive)
right to use these same materials outside this area in
as far as they were found within a three mile range from its
boundaries without providing for a compensation to be paid to the
inhabitants of the area, the traditional and legal rights of the
tribal population in the area were violated. In the same way, the
economic opportunities and environment of these peoples, all
engaged in a subsistence-economy, were seriously threatened. It
should, moreover, be borne in mind that no attempts were made to
reach a compromise between the two parties involved, viz., BFG and
these inhabitants. BFG was not even required to notify these
people of its intentions. The importance of all this cannot be too
clearly emphasized. Tribal economy and life was already seriously
affected and endangered by the company having the right - which it
had demanded - to request the Government to evacuate, also without
a compensation (3), villages which would impede the operations of
the company under the concession agreement. This issue - the
evacuation of a population traditionally attached to its land -
only met with the opposition of four out of the eleven Government
officials who gave comments on the draft which already mentioned
this. Three others were prepared to agree with an evacuation if
proper compensation was given by the company (interior Secretary
Grigsby, Treasury Secretary Dennis, and Postmaster General
DeShield). The Acting Secretary of Public Instruction, Ellen Mills
Scarbrough, was in fact the only one who disagreed with this proposal
when she commented prudently but deliberately
"/ am thinking in terms of Liberian citizens having cer-