1957-03-22 — Page 4

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THE CHINA MAIL, -- FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1957...

HEAVYWEIGHT DRIVER OF

R

SOUTHERN RHODESIA

OY WELENSKY -even at 50 and a little heavier than he would like to be- would make an idenj tough guy for a Hollywood film.

He would look utterly at home with automatics bulging from his pockets,

A cigar sticking out of his mouth, dealing cards in a saloon.

Looks, however, are in this case liars.

In the second place, al. In the first pince, he either drinks nor smokes. though brute force is a very part of the man, he is probably the most patient and skilful negotiator in Africa.

He can get angry very angry, Once, many years ago, when he found him- self in the midst of a hostile mob on a railway station platform he quietened it instantly by knocking its

burly ring-leader cold with

a single punch.

to

But it Lakes much make him angry and even then his anger is the cold, quiet, perfectly controlled kind.

From 1926 unt!! 1928 he heavyweight boxing Was champion of the Rhodesias, and he still says rather pointedly that boxing is good for politicians. "It gives you a tremendous self- confidence."

This is not so ominous as it sounds. Welensky's concern with self-confidence stems from the very real rough and tumble Rhodesian politics.

of

But the rough and tumble is mainly ideological. No politiclues

he

at

in the Rhodesias can expect to achieve

unless anything almost everybody annoys least some of the time, and the "ready for anything" feeling which Welensky has cultivated is an extremely valuable esset.

-ROY WELENSKY-

PART TWO OF A SPECIAL INVESTIGATION Intelligence Report

The Fixers

Genova. HERE IN GENEVA I'VE BEEN SEEING HOW

D you want to buy

some 82mm. or THE BIG ARMS DEALERS 'PULL STRINGS' 120mm, mortars?

Do you want to

sell ammunition to King -WITH NOTHING TOO TOUGH TO HANDLE!

Saud or the Imam of Yomen?

Would you like to get in on a deal for supplying weapon carriers to the new West German Army? Or perhaps just a few

spare | parts?

Or perhaps you would be interested in sending a ship- load or two of steel scrap to Red China, without, of course, anyone at the Board of Trado being able to stop you?

If so, gentlemen, I am your man. Not for nothing have been sitting (and standing) around the bar of my hotel here in Geneva for the last week.

I can now put you on to agents and financiers ready and delighted to satisfy any whims you may have

these directions.

For they

The

in

are all here. and same freedom

DELMER by SEFTON

thousands of millions of pounds of escape money from all parts of Europe and the Middle East have made Switzerland the world's No. 1 centre for trade deals frowned on In other parts of the world.

secrecy which have made Es

UPSTARTS

tho Tangier opera-

Πλονίκης are

to

Swiss banks the refuge for Switzerland now that Tanger

of Polish origin, has roots in Southern Rhodesia and nowhere else. He was not rich—not an expatriate with "home leave"—but not a diehard in the rough and tumble of African politics. He was heavyweight boxing champion of the Rhodesias. He was an engine driver. And he needs all the experience at both trades to be Premier today.

go home for long leaves or plan to retire somewhere else,

Engine Driver

Ray became an engine driver In 1924-and he still lists his occupation as "engite driver".

the

The

-by LES ARMOUR-

come

Only African affairs were still officially under the control of the colonial administrators,

Tightrope Walker

of his bungalow in which politi- cal problems wore thrashed out just as unlan problems used to bel short words with no hoids barred.

he

Gradually, he got his polities down to clear principles.

In the circumstances, decided that a permanent politi- cal solution was only to be had on the old terms of Ceel Rhoder: "Equal rights for every civilised man.

has been incorporated with fand from a taxation-ridden, Marocco and has lost its inflation fearing outside ernationall status (though world is proving almost em- many were not too happy to see barrassing to the Swiss, the Tangler lade in Geneva

this town is inclined to look down on them as the upstart barrow boys of the trade).

Everything and everyone here is strictly respectable and with in the law-from arms dealers und Iron Curtain traders agents who unywhere else would be called blockade runners.

MONEY

lo

THEY have their offices, usual- ly, marked "Import Export" They also have their socret bank accounts

so that

when they own transactions, thelr wish, those of their clients and their agents can be absolutely secret even from the most inquisitive authorities.

and What is more the Swiss the

operating Doreigners here have plenty of money with which to finance their deals.

For that vast amount of money that has come into free and neutral Switzer-

com be

account of the strictly legitimate

--and highly

Roger Shonin

ONLY

respected-M.

LEGAL

NLY one thing really bothers

my

friends. Swiss

And tho Russians under – bidding

that

now

They have to find something to do with It, something that

Aro profitable. And what could be more profitable than these arms them to an extent where com- deals which rarely carry less petition becomes uncommercial than a 50 percent proft,

should you be

So, you sea, **But," say you, "how can wanting any mortars or ammu- one buy arms for the Middle nilion 1 can easily put you in Enst in Switzerland? Surely touch with the place where you Switzerland has forbidden the can get some. export of arms to Israel and the Arab countries?"

Quite right. The Swiss Government forbade the export of arms to the Middle East in November 1955, but that does not stop the trade in Geneva and Zurich.

FOR NASSER

ET

introduce me

you

to

What is more, we can trust M. Simonin to find a strictly. Jegal and above-board way to supply.. them to whomever you wish.

1 hear that a Briüsh Arm, has

made a Just

deal with M. Leclere, at the Geneva private bankers de L'harpe.

Д

Together the British and the Swiss are going to salvage huge arms dump walled up by the Germans on the island

of

M. Roger Simonin, head Crete in the caves around Mount Ida, where the legendary of the

of Rexim Company

Minotaur was reputed to have Mr Simonin holds up had his lair. Geneva. his hands in horror at the idea of Swiss arms defiance of his Government's

going Egypt in It is claimed there are

order. That, however, does not mortars, shells, and guns stop his company carrying out there, and masses

of ex-

a contract worth several million plosives. Many of them are had for the pounds for the export of belloved to be in excellent

mortara, machine guNS, and

marketable condition.

carries

It

Europeans same wage."

munitions to Nasser, They also argue that Europeans

to Others would have

be And M. Simonin are paid inflated wages because

for Use. When reconditioned attracted from out quite legally from the point the arms have been salvaged the they must be distant places and that these of view of both the Swiss

authorities wages are in no way realistic.

conscience. So the night goes on.

ملط

and

Own

For

these mortars

and

are not Swis

Swiss and the British will have to decide between them what is best to be done with them-use them for scrap or sell them on one of the many markets opan to the Swiss.

AGENTS....

But Welonsky's genius can be seen in the form the fight has machine guns taken.

Sa deeply has he im-made, M. Šimonin and his com- with Franco's pressed his principles that almost pany have a contruct for the

argues that Africans manufacture nobody

State-owned Spanish arsenal in must not rise because they are Inherently inferior and almost Oviedo, on a Armas, nobody pushes the issues strictly colour basis.

4

String Breaker

the "Fabrica des

the

The terms for an equal share ๒ political affairs ware to be laid down hard and fast and Africans

were to be given

in greater and greater share political affairs as they ful

All that M. Simonin and his WHO would be wanting them? Well, there are plenty of to provide the African leaders distrusled the power, he was in a position to filled the conditions of "civilisa

On the present ground there friends do la

for

potential customers right here la the shells the "transient" Europeens whom

tion." to terms with both so

is hope fer

solution, cordite

is of inferior Geneva now. Egyptian agents they regarded as exploiters. The long 39 he could keep his this way, he hoped, African And while Welensky's support Spanish cordite Europeans, even those of them followers in line.

aspirations could be satisfied from the European unions may quality. They also provide some buying for King Saud, Sudanese

know-how, officers, Libyans and even, I am. who realised that the Africans

without panicking the Euro have declined, his support from of the engineering

lald, the Algerians. But if you must eventually come into their The post-war constitution of peans.

the rest of the community has plus the financing for the deal

do not like the Middle East With the eventual foderation

broadened, No one could claim that they own, feared that they would be Northern Rhodesia provided for

They also send out some there is always Central and swallowed in the transformation, a bare majority of unofficial of the Rhodeslas, he took his were visiting exploiters,

members. So long as the African principles with him to Salisbury

of their own Swiss men to Souh America. Premier The fact that, inevitably, the members voted with the Europ- and became Deputy

instruct the Egyptians in

of President Trujillo Lord Malvern. were at the top of eans, they could rule.

Now he EuropeanNS

under

the use of the mortars; and, Dominican Republic, a man at economie and social heap

has become Premier, and the Africans at the bottom,

Meanwhile, however, Welen of course, the negotiation of the bar told me just now, wants In

his political the process, sharpened the ocullet.

support had shifted enormously, sky has become convinced that the contracts with Nasser some scout cam for his army.

which bind the The first stop in African the strings

There are scout ears avallable advancement, obviously, was the federalion to Britain and limit the rake-off for the dicta-

government's freedom of tor's entourage and the in Britain of the type he wants. promotion of Africans to skilled the

collection for payment of obs in Industry and the gradual action must be broken

But the deal, you can count raising of African standards of The present constitution, he the material delivered, that on it, will be made in Geneva. Welensky personally negoti- living.

lot Yes, it is amazing what a ated the constitution with Welensky's old supporters have belleves, encourages irresponsible is all the affair of the Swiss..

to believe that African leaders Arthur Creechi

resisting Jones, the been

bitterly,

I can assure you that quite a of arms there are on offer once Socialist Secretary of State for though the force of his person it can eventually be set aside by

start- talking with these of the booty you End-a purely African furgo amount ality has been such that much Britai

con- peaceful citizens in the hotel state set up, and encourages captured by the Israelis It involved walking a con- of their opposition has had to be responsible European leaders to aisted of weapons supplied to the bars of little neutral, freedom- North-western He did, indeed, have his own tinual tightrope. But it was, in Indirect. Roodesla had — a population of troubles among his friends and a serve, just what he wanted. The European workers claim bellove that they can eventually Egyptians from Spaln

a South African type two million Africans and 37,000 fellow, workers. The skilled It forced his European colleagues that for Africans to do their jobs set up

workar cn the rall to come · to terms with the for less money will result in the regimo, Europeans, and with an economy European

of overyone's

Once a final constitution is largely controlled by outside roads and in the mines strongly African representatives but, at destruction interests, conficts WENG

Egreed upon, Welensky believes, in-resisted and continue to resist the same time, It preserved the standard of living. The Africans among evitable.

advancement of Africans element of European pre- counter-claim that for the

both sets of extremists will calm of the skilled ponderance which they demand can trade unions to insistas down. the ranks Welensky foresaw, even then,

they have been that Africans workers. the eventual federation of the

At the same

The compromise was entirely work only if they are paid the that the situation

allowed to time, Welensky

do skilled en be

Feeling in Britain, however, 15 Rhodeslas and he foresaw that Rhodesia was their home and federation

Independence could control them to a degree typical of the man. Gud

was only feeling his prevailing European wage is to delicate to leave. they had only the loosest ties would require a tricky political and he was their personal hero. then ho

frustrate their advancement in That counted for a lot, with the country from which compromise.

The battle continues He continued to hold, Sunday definitely since employers will they had come, Unlike the ter- It was la

Since he represented neither this situation that

promote

if Welensky as conâdent as ever. ritory's upper crust, they did not Welensky came into his own. of the principal contenders for evening conferences on the porch over

Welensky is in an ideat posi- tion to take on almost every- body in the country.

was

in

He still

His rise to power came through Railroad Workers Union

Welcnsky, however, was not and his transition from union organisation to political activity at the top of the heap. He was

the still an engine driver. achieved through founding,

1941, of the lived in a railrond bungalow with the railroad Northern Rhodesia Labour Party. Identical

Welensky's party was devoted bungalows occupied by other

a hard brand of political engine drivers. He was bori in Salisbury, realism.

He could not, by any streich - as the of the Imagination, be regarded the Colonies. In a country with rmalgamated provinces of as an "exploiler." Northern and

Southern Rhodesia, On January 20, 1907. His father was a Pole who had come to South Africa and then trekked north Rhodesta,

10

The family was Del poverty stricken but, on the other hand, the Welenskys were not the empire builders, the colonial administrators, or the leaders of the business community.

to

way.

But even

this

Africana

is still too

with

for the loving Switzerland:

Keep your sugar dry!

པ་

EVEN IN THE

DAMPEST WEATHER

Cummings

TOUGH

BUDGET

TOUF

BUDGET

BUDGET

TOFT

SOFT BUDGET

CARMARTHEN

"Heavens! The uproar of Tory knees knocking together is distracting my wo

Fine granulated sugar is now available in new 5 lb. plastic bags

TAIKOO SUGAR

REFINED SINCE 1884