Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

admiration of the officials aiui oper- ators in the Administration. The British-controlled areas visited were Aden, Kenya, and Tan- Kanyika. Xo dollar imports of con- sumer K"<)ds are permitted, and, in freneral, it is hecessary to pro- duce in the sterling area if one is to sell in these territories. Because of this the only present possibility for liCA lies in the sale of theatre equipment manufactured by lU'A Photophone Limited in London. Nor can American-made enijineer- injr products be sold here. Virtually the only prospective customers are the Administrations, and they buy only British ^roods. Kenya a Httj^c Game Reserve If Kenya were not so distant, it would earn many dollars from tour- ists to the huge game reserve. See \ng all sorts of animals roaminp in the wild, all about you, is a thrill. Ethiopia is a rich country with many resources, but much time and capital will be required to develoji them. Dollars are being earned, but import controls have recently been established which prohibit the im- port of American consumer goods. Before an American operated airline started to function in this country of few roads and railroads, goods were transported almost en- tirely by donkey. Today combina- tion cargo and bucket-seat planes pick up hides, coffee, and other products all over ?]thiopia and bring them to a central point from whence they are ultimately exported. This is another illustration of the way the airplane is opening up territory. However, because Ethiopia is near the Equator, we were told that a ride in a plane with a cargo of raw hides is a sensory experience not to be forgotten. Much communications equipment is needed but the finances of the country permit only a very slow ex- pansion of facilities. The Radio Club of Mozambique operates the largest commercial broadcasting station in Southern Africa, at Laurenco Marques, in Portuguese East Africa. For RCA MODERN TRANSMITTER BlILniNf;, ERECT- ED BY THE EGYPTI.AN ST.VTE BRO.ADCAST- INC, SYSTEM, IS TYPICAL OF THE PROG- RESS BEING MADE IN THAT COUNTRY. people it is an inspiring sight to see this station with its five short- wave broadcast transmitters, four of which are RCA, T'^-k"' units, model KT-1750. Programs are beamed to Portugal, to Portuguese West Africa, to the Union of South Africa and other points. The suc- cess of the station is shown by the constant cxiiansion of its facilities, paid for solely out of earnings. .Johannesburg, in the Union of South Africa, presents a picture of bustling activity. In New York everyone seems to be in a hurry, but in Johburg, as it is called, the tempo seems even greater. -Johburg is not the largest city in Africa, but more business and more enterprises of every sort are concentrated there than in any other city. The foundation of all the coun- try's wealth is gold. South Africa devotes great amounts of capital and much manpower to finding the gold and extracting it from the earth. Of course, after the precious metal is refined and sold to the United States, we carefully bury it again at Fort Knox. Has Other Mineral Resource South Africa has many other mineral resources, including dia- monds, copper, coal, and manga- nese. It also exports citrus fruits and other agricultural products. Notwithstanding the wealth, im- ports of American consumer goods have been i)iohibited, a situation that is not likely to change for some time. Engineering products are being imported in considerable quantity, but the general trend on all imports is to favor the sterling area and soft currency countries. Of all the countries of Africa, the Union is probably the most ad- vanced and ultimately will be the most industrialized. To a great ex- tent this is due to the temperate climate. In the hot tropical coun- tries, industrialization is difficult if not impossible. Considerable quantities of RCA engineering products eciuipment are in use in the government services. Many units were sent on lend-lease during the war, and have operated .'.() well that much more has been purchased since. It was intere.sting to hear the an- nouncer at the Johannesburg air- port call out "All aboard for Leo- poldville, Accra, Dakar, Lisbon and New York." It sounded like the .5:L5 from Grand Central, but the distance is 8,000 miles. We debarked at the first stop, LeoiKildville. The Belgian Congo is a wealthy colony. It has many min- erals including uranium as well as other resources. Here, as in Ethi- opia, the greatest problem is trans- portation. A railroad runs from Matadi on the Atlantic Coast to Leopoldville, a distance of 200 miles, but because of the congestion in Matadi, it takes an average of two months for goods to cover the 200 miles to Leopoldville. From (Continued on page 32) I [RADIO AGE 29J