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first to benefit from this U.S.-aid were Stephen A. Tolbert,
Charles D. Sherman and Taylor E. Major (17). But an improvement
in the quality of the civil service would take years, if not
generations, and in 1946 Tubman announced a Five Year Developmen
Plan (which was rather a Plan of Action).
The 1946 - 1950 Development Plan
The Five Year Plan was presented as an "Overall Plan to Develop
the Republic of Liberia" and included political as well as
economic goals. Its most important objectives were; (i) revision
of election laws; (ii) revision of Statutes for the punishment
of political offences; (iii) revision of existing military laws
(so far as it related to the Militia); (iv) revision of the then
actual labour state; (v) revision of the immigration statutes in
order to inaugurate a programme for the importation of technical
skills; (vi) a national development programme including
education, public works, agriculture, industries, transportatior
communication, research and banking facilities; (vii) a
Centennial Celebration and Post War Building Programme; (viii)
the transfer of the nation's capital (18)-
The economic objectives of the Plan were sub-divided into:
A) an Economic Development Plan which envisaged expenditure
amounting to $ 23,035,000 during this Five-Year period (see
Table 29), and
B) Fiscal measures which would result in a more rigid enforcemei
of existing laws, property reassessments, and in a reduction
of government's operational expenditures.
In the years 1941 - 1945 total Government revenue had varied
between about $ 1.2 million and 1.9 million (see Table 30).
In 1945 total reported expenditures of S 2,041,999 exceeded
revenues by $ 108,293 (19). Therefore, as the national Treasury
would not be able to finance this Plan Tubman presented it to t.
U.S Government with a request for assistance. It may be
significant to note here that the only investor of importance w<
American (Firestone), whereas an important would-be investor,
Lansdell Christie, also came from the U.S.A.
Though it started its large-scale assistance to Liberia in this
post-war period the American Government postponed a definite
answer and the Liberian Government proceeded on its own during
these years. In retrospect the Plan was abortive from the start
Realising the failure of the Five Year Plan by mid-1947 an
agreement was concluded with Stettinius Associates "for the
overall development of the country" (see Chapters 2 and 4).
Domestic revenues, insufficient to finance the ambitious
Development Programme, moreover, had to be partly used to
repay a loan under which Liberia was not free to borrow.