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about 140 Liberian rubber farmers. In 1962 their number had risen
to nearly 3,000 (60). By the end of 1966 they numbered well over
4,000 (61).
Not all of these rubber growers were of the same economic importance.
Firestone provided these farmers, the nucleus of which was
formed by prominent government officials or former government employees,
with necessary advice,^materials and equipment. The produce
of these farms was subsequently sold to Firestone. As Firestone
was the only foreign rubber producer until about 1960, the
interests of the Firestone Plantations Company and those of the
Liberian rubber producers thus became closely linked.
An investigation made for the period of the early 195O's, revealed
that the Firestone assistance was exclusively performed for
plantations owned by Americo-Liberians: all 92 Liberian rubber
plantations visited by the company's Farm Advisor in 1952/1953
were owned by Americo-Liberians. During the same period field inspections
of 16 farms were made. These were exclusively owned by
Americo-Liberians. The mapping and retasking of 10 Liberian rubber
farms also benefited solely Americo-Liberian owners such as
C.D.B. King, J.T. Phillips, W.R. Tolbert, R.S.S. Bright, J, Emery
Knight and others. Nothing was charged by Firestone for performing
these services (62). In this reporting period, Firestone also,
freely distributed rubber stumps in accordance with the size of
the rubber farms: the larger the farm the more stumps would be
provided. Thus, McKinley A. DeShield, the Secretary-General of
the True Whig Party and Postmaster-General, was given 10,000
stumps in 1953 (63).
As most of these beneficiaries occupied important positions in
the Government, their dependence on Firestone with respect to
technical and material support as well as for the sales of their
produce, was skilfully exploited by the North American rubber
company. In case of a strike, Firestone's immediate reaction has
always been to suspend the purchase of rubber from Liberian farmers
until the dispute had been settled (64). It should be remembered
that the U.S. rubber company had no obligation to buy rubber
from Liberian producers. These strikes, which were invariably
caused by the company's wage level and the working and living
conditions en the plantations, were subsequently ruthlessly dealt
with by the Administration.
This dependence is clearly illustrated by the purchases of rubber
on the part of Firestone. In 1952, 72.9 percent of Firestone's
rubber purchases at Harbel were supplied by only 45 Liberian rubber
growers, most of whom were absentee-farmers, i.e. Government
officials. The overall number of Liberian planters in that year
was 792 (65). This characteristic feature of the ownership., structure
of the Liberian rubber plantations has hardly changed.*A
quarter of a century later, in 1977, among the ten largest Liberian
rubber producers in the Harbel area were Harry L. Morris;'
W.V.S. Tubman, R.S.S. Bright, Charles D. Sherman and W.R. Tolbert,
Jr. In Maryland County, about 25 percent of all rubber sales to
Firestone-Cavalla came from one single plantation, the W.V.S.