The_Open_Door_deel1

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taken in the Planting Agreement of the same year. This
Bureau later developed into what is now called the Ministry
of Labour, Youth and Sports.
- The creation of the Bureau of Public Works, in 1928, also
after the arrival of Firestone, followed the signing of the
1927 Loan Agreement with the Finance Corporation of America,
a Firestone subsidiary. This institution later became the
Ministry of Public Works.
- The creation of a Department of Agriculture and Commerce in
1948 was partly the result of the enactment of the Liberian
Corporation Law in the same year,
- The creation of the Bureau of Maritime Affairs followed the
setting up of Liberia's Maritime Programme in 1947/1948.
This Bureau actually occupies an entire floor in the 9story
Ministry of Finance building in Monrovia.
- Following the unexpected high Government Revenues in 1951/
1952, as a result of the introduction of tax payments by
Firestone combined with high rubber prices, the Bureau of
the Budget was created in 1953.
- The creation of an autonomous Bureau of Natural Resources
and Surveys in 1958 followed the increased mining operations
(diamonds, gold, iron ore) of the 195O's. Until 1958
the Bureau of Mines and Geology, as it was called before,
was part of the Department of the Treasury. It was not
until 1971 that this institution was raised to the level of
a ministry (Ministry of Lands and Mines).
- The creation of the Bureau of Economic Research in 1959 was
a response to the overall increase in economic activities.
After having been reorganised and renamed several times in
the early 1960's it resulted in the creation of the Department
of Planning and Economic Affairs in 1965/1966.
- The expansion of the Treasury Department, notably with the
creation in 1967 of the Bureau of Research and Revenue
Analysis (to supervise the concessions) which Bureau in
1974 was transformed into the Concession Secretariat, In
1979 the Concession Secretariat merged with the Liberian
Development Corporation (a public corporation) into the
National Investment Commission, which institution became an
autonomous government agency.
- The creation of an autonomous Forestry Development Agency
(1974), which agency took over the responsibilities which
the Concession Secretariat had in this respect.
The Remuneration of Foreign Capital and Manpower
The development of the Liberian national economy is not properly
reflected by the growth of its Gross Domestic Product as
the G.D.P. includes the income accruing to the foreign owners
of capital employed in the production and to the foreign manpower
involved in the production proces.
Exact figures do not exist because of the free export of
capital - one of the basic privileges granted to the foreign
investors under the Open Door Policy, Estimates indicate that