America's African heritage; 4

His voice test. How long have you been a CS. Part of it tends to be due to stupid years of realty TV News of the year. The National Association of educational broadcasters presents America's African heritage recorded in Africa by Skip Westfall program for Monrovia Liberia. First port of call here is Skip Westfall. This broadcast is coming to you from aboard the SS African patriot headed for Monrovia Liberia. Before arriving at the West Coast port I would like to do one more brief interview with a number of our crew. We're sitting at the moment in the ship's radio the radio officer in Mr. Arctura has kindly consented to answer your question. Let's begin this question. Just what exactly are the functions of the ship's radio operator. Gloating is the worst of all to begin with. The routine duties would be to send and receive messages between into the ship's movements and cargo and to send and

receive weather observations and important duty of the video just to maintain the electronic equipment in the storage batteries connected with the main emergency radio Telegraph installations. However the most important function of the video is to keep an eye on my watch on 500 international distress victims in the event the ship finds itself in the need to send out the signal we all theater here and S.O.S. I was beginning to wonder the other day if our ship would be sending out an S.O.S. Another big wave struck the Bala said that did almost knock you off your chair in that burning heart only here when the waves like the keel plates were such a terrific force it could break the ship into the net. Sure it's possible use that was all. But then a modern merchant ship is both a vine and still not know what it would take a lot of fun to break into if it does break into I suppose our hands are bored with the law.

Not necessarily. There have been cases of broken ships and mated sapiens but without any assistance. You mean to say that I have a ship to come into work under its own power. Certainly if it happened seven years ago Swedish liner that was caught in a severe storm of the coast of Japan I picked up a verse OS reporting that about our section was sinking but all the passengers and crew members had safely been moved to the after party. Well how is that possible. Why didn't the after part sent to the ships are designed constructed into water tank compartments which enable them which enable even a section of the ship to keep it up. Were you able to give this Swedish ship any help as much as we wanted to. Unfortunately we couldn't. Why weren't you able to help. We want to point the version of ourselves we were on the same stone all of that even in that night rolling from side to side to such an extent that most of us thought I was sure

you over at any moment. The main reason I want not tones of age is that the United States military transports had arrived to find a Vista soon and had already assumed charge of this part of the book and should actually proceed on the phone on our own. Into going into Tokyo Bay I must have been an unusual experience for the people aboard that vessel to be fighting the waves in a terrific storm. One half of the ship I'm quite sure they'll never forget that trip. I'm here they want me there. Now getting back to your function as a radio operator sometimes a ship's surgeon sick does not involve danger to the vessel. But the onus of passengers or crew. What procedure do you follow if someone aboard becomes ill. We would send a message to the nearest hospital show requesting medical advice I say but suppose the patient is dangerously ill and is in desperate need of medical attention. What do you do in that case neck case then use the US fold when your son is 6 feet tall ships in

the area to determine which one has a doctor going along the roadway or taking out their many ships with doctors aboard on the plane not on the Greyhound ceilings with Leo to London. There are scores of ships carrying doctors aboard the luxury liners but on this route to Africa there. Actually very few ships and it probably would take a considerable length of time to contact one with a dumb phone. All I can say is I'm glad we're approaching the African coast and that none of us has been in need of a doctor to continue your description of the procedure you usually follow Now suppose there is a doctor in the area. What is your next step. Then we would request medical advice from him. He orders it. The patient would be transferred to his ship. Suppose the ships are traveling in opposite directions. The captains would turn the ships around to make it going to be no question at all about that. That's reassuring to know that even in this modern age the old conditions of the brotherhood

of the sea are still what has been most interesting talking to you Mr. R. Terry I imagine you had enough experiences as a same as to write a book. That's true of all series and since you just in my arm maybe you'd like to hear about the book I just finished. Or so you have read in the book it's about the sea and magic or is it about Africa by any chance. Oh we'll leave Africa to it I don't think I'm sure you do a better job than I ever since I've traveled to the Far East more than traffic in my novels. About that part of the world in fact the title The Last of all desire was taken from an Oriental home which is 2500 years old. That's interesting. Have you found a publisher for your book. Well I hope my fiance has found one she and I submitted it just a day or two before we sailed from New York and we didn't know if he did so well. Here's hoping you do get that book published Mr Yuri. Perhaps one day will be another Joseph Conrad thank you very nice of you to think some was that was all encouraging too.

Thank you for your good wishes and I hope that you have a very very interesting trip and thank you I'm sure I will. Just a short while after concluding that interview with Mr. R. Terry we had a rather frightening experience aboard ship. I crawled into my bunk to enjoy a good night's sleep it was about 12:30 in the morning when suddenly the fire alarm sounded that would have been a most uncomfortable thought on any ocean crossing. But it was especially disturbing in view of the fact that I knew there was stowed away below decks three hundred seventy tons of dynamite enough to blow the African patriot to kingdom come. For a moment all that could be heard was the wild jingling of the bells. Then there was the sound of the hoarse shouts of the men banging at doors and hurrying feet scurrying up and down the deck. This couldn't be a routine fire drill. Whoever heard of a fire drill being ordered at such an unearthly hour. Evidently the ship was

on fire. I was about to get into my life preserver and prepare for the worst. Some of the passengers already had when the commotion began to quiet down a bit and we soon learned that it had been a false alarm. All of the excitement had been caused by a short in the fire alarm mechanism. You may be sure every man aboard was greatly relieved to know that there was no fire. After all one thing is sure there have been few dull moments on this ocean voyage. Speaking of sea adventures just a few moments ago Mr. R. Terry handed me a copy of the fair Aline's news carrying an account of a dramatic rescue operation at sea which took place recently on the Farah Lyons passenger ship the African endeavor. A seaman aboard a ride in freighter had been stricken with meningitis. There was no doctor aboard the freighter and the captain had sent an emergency request for medical aid. To answer this urgent call the Endeavor turned about and steamed over 300 miles from her normal route to make the

mid-ocean run. The patient Gregory Peck's and also a Greek sailor was transferred to the Endeavor treated by a ship's doctor and he recovered. You will recall it in our interview with the ship's radio officer Mr. R. touré referred to the fact that a ship's captain would never hesitate to sail off his course to go to the aid of a sick or injured seaman if the situation required it. Here was an incident and every sent one where this kind of an errand of mercy was carried out and a life was saved. We have now arrived at the port in Monrovia. Our ship has been tied up at the pier and the

dock workers are beginning the job of unloading the night. It's a scorching hot day as most of the days are this time of the year here in propping Liberia. I see one group of longshoremen unloading sacks of cement another group of Africans most of them barefoot are lifting and tugging those cases of dynamite. Stacking them in an open freight car on a side track near the pier. A moment ago I inquired of an African policeman who was standing guard at the top of the gangplank. As to how much he is librarian dockworkers received. He replied. Seven cents an hour. We had no chains on our wrists but we worked like slaves. We wonder how it is possible for these men to support themselves and their families on 56 cents a day. The question naturally arises why aren't these men paid better wages. Some of the

American shipping concerns I understand it educated for higher pay for the long form but without success. Why would it mean that the men on the rubber plantations would flock to the docks to get the better wages. Would it upset the economy of the whole country. I want to attempt to answer that question. We'll leave that to the financial experts who probably don't know the answer to either one of my fellow passengers on this ship suggested that it would be unwise to even mention the low wages of these dock workers. Our country wants to have friendly relations with Liberia she said and talk about seven times an hour wages only cause trouble and bitter feelings between two countries. But that idea is correct then we're saying that Americans should be kept in the dark about some of the conditions which exist in other parts of the world. Our school children for instance should be kept ignorant about the fact that many people in foreign lands work for extremely low wages. To me that doesn't quite make sense. After all the purpose of this trip to Africa

is to try to get something of the story behind the manganese and the rubber and the many other products which are shipped to our country from Africa. And certainly a part of that story is this. Before the manganese in the rubber reaches our factories in America it must go through the hands of these African dock workers and the fact that these men toil eight hours a day under the blistering sun for a few pennies an hour is something we ought to know about. That's a part of the story of the hardship and the suffering that goes into the steel. And the rubber. That. Make our fine automobiles in America and other gadgets which are so much of a part of our daily lives. I mean marching we go to one of the family. Do these boys ever sing while they were. At this time of the day. He said it's too hot to say. When the sun goes down and the air is a little cooler. You will hear them sing. So we'll conclude this broadcast along

already to see if we can record a bit of the song. And now it is evening. Darkness is settling down on the busy scene here at the pier. But the work goes on. We have our recorder set up near one of these freight cars or about 50 men they're busy at work stacking up those cases. Right now it looks like the foreman was right. They are beginning to sing as the sun goes down. Let's listen to their song. This has been programmed for America's African heritage. These

programs lead to recordings made by world traveler skip Westfall on a recent trip to Africa. This Aires is made possible by a grant in aid to radio station WOIO Iowa State College from the educational television and radio center production is under the direction of Norman B Clary. This is reggae zis speaking for the National Association of educational broadcasters.