Eventually Pickering ushered them into a conference room.
Clearly it was the venue of the lower and middle-ranking executives.
The floors were covered with industrial stud-rubber tiles and the partition walls displayed charts of the company's administrative Organization and departmental structures. The furniture was laminate and chrome, with plastic upholstery.
Daniel smiled as he imagined how this room would probably contrast with the magnificence of the main boardroom that must be situated somewhere in the front of the building, close to Tug Harrison's personal office.
There were four men waiting for them, clustered around the table of snacks and refreshments in the corner. Pickering introduced them.
This is George Anderson, one of our senior geologists; he is in charge of the Ubomo mineral developments. This is his assistant Jeff Aitkens.
And this is Sidney Green who coordinates the timber and fishing concessions in Ubomo, and this is Neville Lawrence from our legal section. He will also be able to answer any questions you may have on the financial projections.
Now, may I offer you a sherry? Bonny Mahon's presence did more than the cheap sherry to relax the atmosphere.
Pickering allowed them ten minutes, then he shepherded them to their plastic-covered chairs at the imitation-walnutveneered conference table.
Well, now. I'm not going to stand too much on ceremony here. This is enfamille. My instructions are that this is to be a totally frank and open briefing. You must feel free, Doctor Armstrong, to ask whatever questions occur to you, and we will try our best to answer them. First of all just let me say how delighted and excited we are that BOSS is to be associated with this enormous project to uplift the Ubomo economy and to develop the rich natural resources of that beautiful little country for the good of all its citizens. He allowed himself a sanctimonious smirk and then adopted a more businesslike tone. BOSS's concessions fall into four categories. Firstly, there are the mining and mineral deposits. Secondly, the timber and agricultural developments. Thirdly, the fishing and aquaculture projects, and lastly, the hotel, casino and tourist industry. We hope that the development of all these resources will eventually lead to Ubomo becoming one of the most prosperous little countries on the African continent. Before I ask our experts to discuss the economic potential of Ubomo in detail, I'm going to give you some background figures and facts. Let's put the map of Ubomo up on the screen.
Pickering turned to the console of the audio-visual equipment and adjusted the overhead lighting. All right. Here we go. The map of Ubomo appeared on the screen on the end wall. The People's Democratic Republic of Ubomo, he intoned, is situated between Lakes Albert and Edward on the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley in eastern central Africa. It is-bounded on the west by Zaire, the former Belgian Congo, and on the east by Uganda . . . Pickering pointed out the boundaries and the main features. The capital, Kabati, lies on the lakeshore below the foothills of the Ruwenzori range or, as they are more romantically known, the Mountains of the Moon. The first European explorer to chronicle the existence of these mountains was Captain John Hanning Speke who travelled in this area in 1862. Pickering changed the display on the screen. The total population of Ubomo is estimated at four million, although there has never been a census. You can see the breakdown into tribes.
The largest tribe is the Ubali. However, the new President Taffari and most of his military council are Hita. In all a total of eleven tribal groups are represented in Ubomo, the smallest of which is the Bambuti, commonly known as the pygmies.
About twenty-five thousand of these diminutive people live in the northern equatorial rain forests of the country. This is where BOSS's major mineral concessions are situated.
Pickering was good at his job. He had assembled his information carefully and presented it in a lively and interesting fashion.
However, there was very little he had to tell them that Daniel did not already know.
Bonny asked a few questions and Pickering addressed his replies to her bosom. Daniel found that Pickering's inability to take his eyes off those protuberances was beginning to irritate him. Daniel had conceived a proprietary interest of his own in this area.
After Pickering, the other company experts rose in succession to elaborate on BOSS's plans. Sidney Green showed them architect's impressions of the resorts and casinos that they would build upon the lakeshore. We anticipate the main tourist trade would come from southern Europe, particularly Italy and France. Flying time from Rome under eight hours. We are looking at an eventual half-million visitors a year. Apart from tourism we are planning a major aquaculture industry. . . He went on to explain how the Lake waters would be pumped into shallow dams in which freshwater shrimp and other exotic aquatic life would be cultured. We are aiming for an eventual annual harvest of a million tons of dried protein from aquaculture, together with another million tons of dried and frozen fish from the lakes themselves.
We are considering the possibility of introducing high-yield fish populations to the lakes to augment the indigenous species. What about the effect of these enterprises on the ecology of the lake itself?
Daniel asked diffidently. Particularly the construction of the marinas and yacht harbours and the introduction of exotic species such as carp and Asian shrimp to the lake waters. Green smiled like a second-hand car salesman. These are at present being fully investigated by a team of experts. We expect their report to be ready by the middle of the year.
However, we do not anticipate any problems in that area. Quite right, Daniel thought. They aren't going to make waves if my new and good friend Tug is hiring and firing.
Sidney Green swept forward, still smiling, to discuss the agricultural potential. In the low-lying wooded savannah that covers the eastern half of the country the tsetse fly, glossina morsitans, closes a great deal of prime country to cattle-ranching. At the earliest opportunity we, in cooperation with the Ubomo government, will undertake a programme of aerial spraying to eradicate this insect menace. Once this is done, beef production will be of great importance to the economy. Aerial spraying?
Daniel asked. What chemicals will be used? I am pleased to say that BOSS has acquired several thousand tons of Selfrin at most favourable prices. Would the favourable price have anything to do with the fact that Selfrin has been banned in the continental United States and in the European Common Market countries? I assure you, Doctor Armstrong, Green smiled blandly, that the use of Selfrin has not been banned in Ubomo.
Oh, that's good.
Daniel nodded, and returned his smile. He had smelled Selfrin in the Okavango swamps and the Zambezi valley. He had seen the devastation of entire insect species and the birds and small mammals that fed upon them.
As long as it's legal, nobody can have any objection, can they?
Quite so, Doctor Armstrong. Sidney Green changed the display on the lecture screen. Those areas of the savannah that are unsuitable for cattlebreeding will be planted with cotton and sugar cane. Irrigation water will be pumped from the lakes.
The swamps and wetlands in the north will be drained, but these, of course, are long-term projects. Our immediate cash flow will be assured by logging operations in the timber-rich forests of the western mountain range. The "Tall Trees",'Daniel murmured. I beg your pardon?