The Mail-Journal, Volume 8, Number 4, Milford, Kosciusko County, 24 February 1971 — Page 8

THE MA IL-JOURNAL—Wed., Feb. 24, 1971

8

AFRICA — Seventh In A Series

U. S. Industry Turns An - * ■ Eye To A Settled Congo

EDITOR’S NOTE — African series 5 and 6 by Arch Baumgartner jn the second section of this issue. Bv ARCH BAUMGARTNER KINSHASA. Democratic Republic of the Congo. Africa - As our twin-engine jet Caravelle lifted itself off the runway into the clouded skies over Kinshasa, we looked down to the city where we had just spent three days, wondering if this wasn’t a nation that had just gotten off its knees and onto its feet, and was not ready to run . | The time was 9:30 a m Wednesday. Feb 17. and our group of American newsmen touring emerging African nations was beginning a day-long jet. flight - east across equatorial Africa] to the country of Kenya We left Kinshasa in a sweltering, humid heat that had been, with us during' our entire stay. We arrived there on Sun-’ day. Feb 14. coming from the Ivory Coast capital city of Abidjan, landing first at Douala, Cameroon, then at Libreville. Gabon, the latter situated just north of the equator Our Sunday flight began at 11 a m in Abidjan and ended at 8 p m m Kinshasa The U S Embassy was told earlier that we were to land at Kinshasa at 3:30 p m and Ambassador Sheldon B Vance and U S Information service director G Michael Ran, as well as a number of television cameramen, were on hand to greet us They hadn't heard that our trip to Lagos. Nigeria, has been cancelled The Ambassador and Mr Razi. whom we came to regard very highh before our visit washover, even had a party plannedtor us for late‘afternoon A City Groaping j Kinshasa, which received its name from a prominent native , tribe, was the former capital city of Ijeopoldville. named after the Belgian King Leopold 11. and is situated on the mouth of the mighty Congo River It continues to serve as the seat of government for the new groapmg Congolese; government which received its independence abruptly on June 30. 1960. The Congo consists of 906,000 square miles, or is the size of the United States east of the Mississippi River It is 22 per cent . agricultural land, of which only 2 per cent is cultivated, all by large farmers The remainder is either forest or vast wasteland The country extends both above and below the equator and is the richest African country in natural resources Copper is the big export, and a strong copper world mar has been the one thing to givelhis country its boost following independence Other than that, it is nch in oil (as Standard Oil of Indiana is just finding out), diamonds, palm oil and numerous other natural resources US. Ambassador Vance told us at a Tuesday briefing at the Embassy that there were 100.000 Belgians running the country for those many years before independence. that there was no, rank m the Congo army held,by Congolese above that of sergeant When other African countries gained their independence in the 1960’5. Congo demanded immediate independence and got it. In a few short montl* all Belgians left the country, ana this proved disastrous to the Congolese They had no one trained to continue simple public services They had no one for police duties, no firemen, no postal clerks, and this list goes on endlessly. There were subsequent street - riots and unrest across the vast , country side The story erf the rise of Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasavubu have been well documented In several years there were four provinces which had succeeded from the Congo nation, or about two-fifths of the entire country. Hired mercenaries made the division in the country even worse. The Congo was torn asunder Finally, in 1965. an armygeneral by the name erf Joseph Mobutu, just 33 years of age. assumed the presidency of the country and began to restore order. He was faced with a rebellion by mercenaries in 1967 which was successfully defeated. Last year Mobutu, in absolute control of the Congolese government with order restored, went to Washington. D. C., and among other things encouraged American industry to invest m las country. His mission was a complete success and a number of com-

panies are opening plants in the Congo. Among these are U. S. Rubber, Union Carbide. Standard Oil of Indiana, and Kaiser Aluminum is building a S4OO million plant, including a dam on the Congo Riverl Ambassador Vance told us the Congo story is “a real success story-.”’' Le Regina Our regular charter bus failed to meet us at the Kinshasa air terminal because of our late arrival on Sunday night, but a young girl representing the UTA airline was on hand to handle our transportation problem. To see her barter with about 15 cab drivers for the lowest price to take, us to town was a story in itself The interplay would put any American Tobacco Co. auctioneer to shame, reaching scree ms from all quarters. But we were finally en route to town in a mad race of careening taxi cabs, radios blaring, our destination the Le Regina Hotel, — “the best in Kinshasa." This had to be one of the worst hotels we stayed in. The little bugs scurried for cover when we turned on the lights When we told a fellow in a bus several days later we were staying at Le Regina, he commented. “Oh. the zoo”’ Our room (all. rooms for that matter 1 had no hot water spigot on the sink . but one afternoon we got some warm water in the tub which we think came from a roof tank which was being warmed by the mid-day sun We Were among the lucky ones — we did have a window air conditioner, of. ancient vintage, but which wheezed out enough cool air to make the room comfortable Two small clothes closets each contained two hangers But this is all to change In September, we were told, the wrecking crews were coming in to demolish the La Regina, which will be replaced with a 25-story modern hotel with rooftop dining and a three-level parking area underground Nearing completion is a large 250-room Inter-Continental hotel, to be followed with an additional 250-room wing Other modern hotels are on the drawing board, we were told At the present time there are only 3.500 Americans in the vast Congo and opportunity is wide open While the office of tourism is doing what it can to encourage more foreign travel in the Congo, they really aren’t ready for it. No clerks or other office personnel speak English, and such a simple thing like buy ing a postage stamp becomes a major transaction. We did find two friendly, knowledgatrfe lady clerks in the Pan Am office next to the Le Regina, whom we called “the little people” we liked to interview One told us they liked the newindependent government of the Congo, that they recognized that the streets weren’t being cleaned and that general services have declined “But this is secondary." one quickly added. ' Thanks. Mike Razi < Our group of journalists owe a big debt to U. S information service director Michael Razi We were given a young lady as a tour guide, pretty but who spoke no English What to do? Mr Razi. who briefed us on the Congo and the political situation we should expect here, saw our predicament and asked if he could help us out. Help us out’ We were delighted A man of Greek ancestor- but an Armenian by birth. Mr. Razi was educated in Paris and Washington, D. C. A lawyer, he was knowledgable in many fields, and proved a real diplomat in his own right. He showed us the town, the mighty Congo River, took us to see the Stanley Pool, the rapids, and the huge monument and statute of Henri-Morton Stanley, the English journalist who found Dr David Livingston, the Scot Presbyterian explorer who became lost in the wilds of the Congo. I just had to have my photo taken looking Stanley directly in the eye. Then we went to the United African Unity Village for dinner, a plush miniature United Nations for African country leaders. American astronauts Armstrong. Aldrin and Collins were guests there and received the plaudits of African leaders at that time in their good will tour. Well. Mr Razi showed us the local university, the Luva> mm. which has 5.000 African stuue- > enrolled This university is a great achievement for the Congo.

It represents a "giant step” in the educational field for this country whose literacy rate is so low. We went to the Kinshasa press club where we were treated so hospitably by about two dozen young journalists. Visit TV Station We visited an art school and later a television station which is the result of a large American grant in aid. A grant of $600,000 built the building, and another grant of $500,000 purchased some of the equipment. A grant of $1,100,000 from West Germany is also represented in the station. The station, strongly Congooriented’and controlled, evolves around one man. Brother Cornet, a Belgian, who claims to have “stumbled into this thing" as a result of a report he had written some time ago He said the Congolese government pays a third toward the cost of operation of the station. Programs are directed to youth, social culture women’s liberation, agriculture and public health. Meet The Ambassador Our big moment in Kinshasa came when we met U. S. Ambassador Sheldon B Vance at the Embassy at 6 Avenue des Aviateurs We were told to leave our cameras in the front office, much to our; disappointment, but were later given them so we could photograph Ambassador Vance, a tall (6’4”) Minnesotan. Harvard law graduate, pipesmoking, lean man-with* sandy ’ hair and well groomed features. Ambassador Vance spoke to us for 30 minutes, giving us a good background on the Congo. He said he landed his job on the basis of an earlier six-week visit to the Congo. “It wasn’t much, but it was more than any one else had had.” he said.

North Webster By MRS. F.R. (DELIGHT) SPEARMAN *

Need Donors For Resident Who Is To Have Surgery .In urgent appeal has been made for blood donors for Carl WTute of North Webster. He is scheduled for open heart surgery March 10. A special appeal is being made by the North Webster American Legion' and Auxiliary through Mrs. Eleanore Enyeart for any blood type Mr White, a native of near North Webster, has had a history of heart ailment since he was 19 years of age. He was the owner and operator of the Carl White Soft Water Service with his office in North Webster and Warsaw until four years ago when his health failed and he had to discontinue business He and his wife, the former Kathryn Warner, are the parents of two sons. Dr. Thomas White, director of emergency service of the Baptist hospital in Phoenix. Ariz.. and Richard, a senior at Indiana university at Bloomington. The sons and Mrs. White are to accompany him to the clinic Donations of blood may be made at the visit of the American Red Cross Bloodmobile from noon until 6 pm. today (Wednesday) at the women's building at the fair grounds in Warsaw. Walk in donors are welcome —NW— Church To Begin Study On Nigerians Members and friends of the North Webster Church of the Brethren were entertained unusually Sunday evening, Feb. 21. at 6:30 p.m. They ate a one-dish Nigerian meal prepared and served at the church. The meal was the beginning of the study of the life and country of the people of Nigeria. Resource leaders Hyedima Bwala of Marama. Nigeria and Rev. Paul L. Shrider of North Manchester were the speakers for the program which started at 7:30p.m. Mr. Bwala is a senior at Manchester college and is presently studying medicine. Rev Shrider taught school for two years in the Waka schools in Biu. Nigeria, the same time Bwala was a student there. Illustrations were given by the two men to depict life in Nigeria.

He accompanied President Mobutu to Washington, D.C., on his visit there in August 1970. A highly knowledgable man. articulate, with the friendly mannerisms of a man sure of his ground, the Ambassador told us the “first miracle of the Congo" was the restoration of a stable government here. He said President Mobutu never fails to tell how thankful he is to the United States for the aid given his country in these . trying, developing years. He has said often. “There would be no Congo without the help of the United States." The Ambassador said the Congo has good U.S. relations, and has restored good relations with the Belgians as well. He said the U.S. has given the Congo SBOO million in aid. He praised many aspects of African tribalism, citing the social services they offer their own people. “Now. however,” he said, "as rural people come into the cities for jobs, there are no hospitals or other similar institutions to care for this burgeoning city population.” We would have to agree with Ambassador Vance after our three-day visit in the Congo that the country is up off its knees. Standing full-face into the warm wind pta promising future. It needs time. It needs time to educate its own people to fill the jobs of self-government. The first big hurdle, that of a stable government, has been accomplished. Foreign investors likerfhis. The big pool of help is here, the overabundance of natural resources are here. ’ We predict the Congo can’t miss. We want to read this piece 10 years from now. We feel sure we’ve underestimated the case.

Hoss Bowmen Awards Banquet Held Recently The Hoss Hills Bowmen held their annual awards banquet recently at a Goshen restaurant. Jim Baker of r 1 Leesburg, director of the area planning for Kosciusko county, was the evening’s speaker. Trophies for the club’s championship were awarded in the following divisions: Men — Bob Wolfe, first; Jim Bohlen, second. Women: Judy Harris, first; Jane Morton, second. Juniors: Allen Albertsen, first; Owen Swaffard. second. Big game trophies were awarded to Ed Roberts. Steve Davis. Clarence Shaw and Wayne Stahley. Big game plaques went to Rick Baney. Steve Albertson, Ralph Gorsuch. DeVerl Baney. Hager Patton and Larry Harris Harris also received buck trophy. Marion Banes was awarded the honorary bowman trophy The newly elected officers are: Ron Harris — president Bob Wolfe — vice president Rita Harris — secretary Steve Albertson — treasurer Bob Strieby — field captain. The Hoss Hills Bowmen are now accepting new memberships for the new season. Those interested may call Ron Harris. —NW— Firemen Extinguish House Blaze Monday The North Webster-Tippecanoe township volunteer firemen were called to the home of John R. Magley of r 1 Warsaw Monday morning The fire, believed to be caused from the fireplace, was inside walls of the home. Nine firemen and one fire truck brought the fire under control. The Magley home is located on Lake Shore Drive in the Barbee Lakes chain south-west erf North Webster. No estimate has been made of the damage. —NW— Barbee Lake Club Uses Patriotic Theme For Meeting A patriotic decor was used in table decorations at the recent meeting of the Barbee Lakes Conservation club. The meeting was opened by the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and the invocation was given by Frank Golden. Fifty-six members and the following guests;

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Wright, Sarah Bales and Brigitte Penberthy were served dinner preceding the business hour. Stacy Davis, president, gave a reading concerning what the Barbee Lakes Conservation club means to him and his family. He read the new by-laws which were voted on and accepted by those present. The committee in charge of the meeting was Mr. and Mrs. Wilbur Chalfant, chairmen; Mr. and Mrs. David Hearn. Mr. and Mrs. Rex Lawson. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Golden, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Biesemeyer and David Lawson. The next meeting will be held March 16. —NW— Power Failure On Monday Due to the high winds and ice covering the area, the power for electricity was off Monday for hours in the Backwater vicinity. —NW— Lynnwood Bakery Opening March 1 Mr. and Mrs. John Mullinix who recently purchased the Lynnwood Bakery from Mr. and Mrs. Jack Woods announced they will be open for business on March 1. To Student Teach At North Webster Timothy Yeager of r 3 Syracuse, son of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Yeager, has received a student teaching assignment for the second semester at Indiana university. He will be student teaching in the North Webster elementary school svstem. ; Carl'£ Drive-In Opening March 2 Carl’s Drive-In located on road. 15 in Milford and owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Carl Hepler of Syracuse will open March 2 for the season. Mrs. Helper states the drive-in will be open from 11 a.m. until 9. p.m. on week ends and will open on week days at 11 a.m. with the closing time yet to be determined. The popular eating establishment will be open from Tuesday thru Sunday each week. Mr. and Mrs. Herman Miller of Milford have received word of the birth of a great-grandson. The parents are Mr,, and Mrs. Jerry Miller of Rochester. Minn. The baby was born February’ 20 and weighed eight pounds and thirteen ounces.

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H. J. Whelans Observe 30th Anniversary A 30th wedding anniversary celebration was held in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Menzie of Nappanee recently in honor of the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. H. J. Wheland 30 years ago. Menzie and Mrs. David Nusbaum, daughter of thb Whelands. were hosts. They were assisted in serving the buffet dinner by Mrs. Maurice Reiff. Mrs. Nataldia Nusbaum and Mrs. Helen Stahly. The tables and entire home were decorated in keeping with Valentine’s day. The anniversary cake was used as a center piece and was served to the following: Mr. and Mrs. J. H. W’heland and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Menzie and family of Nappanee; Mr. and Mrs. Dave Nusbaum and daughter of Elkhart; Mr. and Mrs Dean Grady of Syracuse; Mrs. Grace Wheland of Nappanee; Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Reiff. Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Reiff and Jennings Reiff of Warsaw; Mr. and Mrs Oscar Werstler of Pierceton; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Reiff of Nappanee; and Mike Reiff of Warsaw. Several friends and relatives called in the afternoon. Cake and ice cream were served later in the day. Many beautiful gifts were received by the honored couple. St-Mar-Kos Pomona Grange Meets Feb. 18 The St-Mar-Kos Pomona Grange met Thursday evening. Feb. 18. in Milford with the Waubee Grange. A potluck supper was served before the regular meeting. A color scheme of red, white and blue was used in the table decorations in keeping with Washington’s birthday. Mrs. Richard Heyde gave the table blessing. Arthur Heckaman. master, presided over the business. Fourteen officers responded to roll call. Mrs. Herman Miller, chairman of the women’s activities committee, gave a report of the committee’s projects. Ben Thompson discussed the land program, banning of certain chemicals, and suggested chemicals to use. Reports were given by representatives of subordinate granges, namely Waubee, New Tamarack and Bremen. The charter was draped in memory of Russell Jacque who died recently, and a letter of

appreciation and thanks was read from Mrs. Jacque for flowers received from the grange. Mr. and Mrs. Clem Beehler were remembered with a card in recognition of their 50th wedding anniversary which was February 12. Mrs. Ora Trader was in charge of the program which was opened by all singing “America, the Beautiful” and “Bringing in the Sheaves.” Richard Heyde read "The Last Word” and Mrs. Herman Miller gave an article about Washington’s birthday and facts concerning his life. A skit entitled “On the Four Seasons” was presented by Mrs. Trader and Mrs. Clem Beehler. Mrs. Ronert Oakley read “Inscription of Mount Vernon.” . The ladies of the Bremen grange were in of a game session with each person receiving a gift, and Mrs. Oakley receiving the grand prize. The Lecturer closed the meeting by giving “A Thought for the Day.” The next meeting will be held on Friday evening, March 19. instead of the regular Thursday date. Potluck supper will be at 6;30 followed by the program, “Travelogue of Europe.” A baked sale will also be featured. Place of the meeting will be New Tamarack Grange hall, southeast of Mishawaka. Group Holds Party Feb. 13 The junior high youth group of the Wawasee Heights Baptist church enjoyed a party in the home of their leaders Mr. and Mrs. Rodney McCreary on February 13. Games, devotions and supper were enjoyed.

O GO OPEN Saturday 7:00 p.m. SUNDAY 1:00 p. m. Wawasee Bowl St. Rd. 13 Syracuse, Ind.

Observe Birthdays Mr. and Mrs. John Walker and son David observed birthdays last week. Others in attendance for the dinner were Mrs. Sharrell Wiley. Mishawaka; Mrs. Carl Ransbottom of Warsaw; Mrs. Evelyn Archer. Oswego; George Bateman, Mishawaka; Mrs. Ervin Miller and Mrs. Vernon Slabaugh. both of Syracuse. ROXANN AUER HONORED ON 14TH BIRTHDAY Roxann Auer of Milford was honored on her 14th birthday at a dinner given Sunday by her grandparents. Mr. and Mrs. George Auer. Sr., of Milford. Also attending were Roxann’s parents. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Auer and family and her aunt and uncle. Mr. and Mrs. Stan Scott of Syracuse. LAKELAND LOCALS Rev. and Mrs. Henry Beer of Milford are leaving for Indianapolis tonight to spend several days with their daughter. Mrs. ; Wayne Riggs, and family. Rev. and Mrs. Beer will then drive to Florida to visit another, daughter, Mrs. Robert Henne, and family and with a son, Victor Beer, and family. Mr. and Mrs. Paul Zeltinger of Chicago spent the week end with his mother, Mrs. Ada Zeltinger. of r 4 Syracuse. 1 Mr, and Mrs. Thomas Gilbert and two daughters of Syracuse entertained at a birthday dinner party in their home Sunday for Mrs. Georgia Buster. Mrs. Jane Scheuer and children of Syracuse, also attended. Robert Kam of Cincinnati. Ohio, is spending the w'eek with the William Gallup family on r 1 Syracuse.