LIBERIA: ITS ECONOMY 
  
As a base for its economy, Liberia has three natural resources 
- iron ore, rubber, and timber. The development of the first two 
resources is well in hand. The timber resources of Liberia are 
excellent but are only beginning to be farmed. Other mineral 
and plantation resources may be developed as the result of e e 
surveys undertaken by the Liberian Government with the help of the 
U.S. Government and other external donors. The highly modern 
techniques employed in the extraction of ore and some of the urban 
aspects of the Monrovia area contrast sharply with the life of the 
interior tribes. 
Notable gains have already been made in the development of 
Liberia's infrastructure. This has been a major area of U.S. 
assistance. Projects completed with the help of American grants 
or loans include the free port of Monrovia, Roberts International é e 
Airport, part of the interior road system, Monrovia's new water 
supply and sewage disposal system (under construction), a hydro- 
electric dam at Mount Coffee near Monrovia, and elementary and 
secondary schools. Also in process are further improvements to the 
Roberts International Airport, a national medical center, and a 
survey of desirable road and port development in the southeast part 
  
of the country.