The_Open_Door_deel1

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Meanwhile, the exploration activities of Wm.H.Muller & Co. had
resulted in a concession agreement between the Government and
the "Liberian Beach Sands Exploitation Company" (composed of
three Dutch investors: Wm.H.Muller & Co., Bos Kalis Westminster
Dredging Group, and Hoogovens Delfstoffen B.V. (65)) in 1973,
granting an exploration area of 200 square miles (approximately
124,000 acres) in Sinoe County, and exclusive rights in respect
of the mining of ilmenite, monazite, rutile and zircon. The
deposits found by the Dutch are reported to be of interest
chiefly for their rutile content.
This list of foreign companies which at one time were interested
in Liberia's possible mineral wealth does not pretend to be
exhaustive. Many more exploration agreements were granted in the
past by the Government, to other prospective foreign investors,
and for different purposes, but all investigations in this re?
spect are bound to fail owing to the absence or incompleteness
of documents. However, it seems that the only ones which went
beyond the stage of exploratory activities and which resulted
in concession agreements granting actual mining rights, were
those with the Columbia Southern Chemical Corporation and with
the Liberian Beach Sands Exploitation Company. Although the
agreement with the former was a big failure, a further look at
it is justified, if not necessary, because of the unprecedented
nature of some of its provisions.
First, the whole of Liberia was given to the company as
Exploration Area, and during the Exploration Period (a minimum
of six years) any other investor was barred from exploring for
and/or mining of titanium or monazite ores anywhere in the
Republic.
Secondly, the concession area granted was one of the largest
ever given to an investor: a coastal strip, 10 miles in width,
extending from the boundary with the (then) British Protectorate
of Sierra Leone in the west, formed by the Mano river, to
the Cavalla river which in the east separated Liberia from the
(then) French colony of Ivory Coast. Additional to this area of
over two million acres were 100,000 acres further inland and
the entire territorial zone off the Liberian coast.
Thirdly, excluded from this area was property which was privately
owned and located within the limits of a city or town.
Theoretically, the concessionaire could thus have claimed public
lands within towns. As the major part of the concession area was
along the coast, where the main towns were located, the
exclusion of private property seems to have been more to
the benefit of the inhabitants of these towns, Americo-
Liberians, than to others, as tribal people predominantly
lived in villages.
Fourthly, since a gigantic enterprise would have emerged if
plans had been realized, the Government had assured the
concessionaire that it would encourage and assist the efforts
to secure and maintain an adequate supply of labour. This
clause was common in those days and only disappeared from
concession agreements in the 196O's.