Bulk Materials Handling Plant, Bar-bours Cut Terminal, and Bayport.

The 10 remaining sites are a publicliquid storage facility and nine general-purpose public warehousing facilitiesowned and operated by seven separateprivate firms.

A foreign-trade zone is a site whereforeign and domestic goods are con-sidered by the U.S. government to beoutside U.S. Customs territory but stillin international commerce. Goodswithin the zone are exempt fromCustoms duties, import quotas andgovernment excise taxes.

MERCHANDISE BROUGHT intoa zone can be stored, tested, relabeled,repackaged, displayed for sale, changedinto a different form, mixed withdomestic and/or foreign-made products,and used in an assembly or manufac-turing process.

Appropriate duties and taxes are notlevied until merchandise physicallyleaves the area. Duties and taxes arebased on the product that leaves thezone or its imported components,whichever is lower. The savings ontaxes and duties can be substantial.

During the Great Depression in1934, the U.S. Congress passed theForeign-Trade Zones Act "to expediteand encourage foreign commerce." Thegoal of the law was to encourageemployment and investment in theUnited States instead of overseas.

MARSHALL V. MILLER, presi-dent of the National Association ofForeign-Trade Zones (NAF-TZ), statedin an article that it was not until themid-1970s that capitalizing on theforeign-trade zone concept made goodeconomic sense. He also said thedecade of the 1980s will be the primetime to use the FTZ concept togenerate additional jobs.

Houston’s trade zone, upon max-imum utilization, should generate ap-proximately 5,000 jobs. Approximately$7 million a year should be pumpedback into the local economy. Accord-ing to the NAF-TZ, zones wereresponsible for 11,000 new jobs in1980.

Since 1970, the growth of foreign-trade zones has been substantial. In1970, ten zones were in operation. As

of March 1981, sixty had been approv-ed. The dollar value of merchandiseutilized in the zones in 1970 wasestimated to be $100 million. By 1980,that figure had jumped to approx-imately $5 billion.

APPROXIMATELY one-third ofthe merchandise flowing through thezones is exported, with some zonesreporting export levels of 70 percent.Miller believes that eventually 50 per-cent of the merchandise movingthrough foreign-trade zones will be ex-ported.

Operating in a foreign-trade Zonecan be beneficial if imported merchan-dise is going to be stored for an uncer-tain or prolonged period, if the storedgoods are destined for various loca-tions, or if the wares are going to beexhibited to potential customers.

In these situations, money can besaved or made. Customs duties andtaxes do not have to be paid until theyare sold. Broken merchandise can berepaired or sold, with duties or taxeslevied only when the goods leave thezone. If broken merchandise has to bedestroyed, duties and taxes are notlevied.

AS FOR GOODS destined forvarious locations, the foreign tradezone is an asset in terms of marketing.For example, if a large quantity ofjeans is brought into the zone and thejeans are destined for five differentmarkets, with all markets requiring dif-ferent markings and invoices, the jeans

can be repackaged and properly label-ed and invoiced according to eachcountry’s import laws. This reducesshipment delays due to improper mark-ings or invoice errors. Also, bulk itemscan be packaged into lots that aremore attractive to small-scale,consumer-oriented customers.

Exhibiting wares in foreign-tradezones also is beneficial. As Millerstated, "From a marketing standpoint,having a sufficient quantity of mer-chandise available quickly for themarket, for potential buyers to ex-amine, if necessary, but without thepayment of Customs duty, excise taxor inventory tax may be attractive."

COMPANIES DESIRING tolocate in the Houston zone also mayqualify for financing from the PortDevelopment Corporation. The Port ofHouston Authority established the cor-poration to induce industrial develop-ment in Harris County and generatejobs for the citizens.

Tax-exempt bonds are issued toqualified applicants. Interest rates onbonds are usually several points belowprime lending rates, offering substan-tial savings to the user of the funds.

Bond funds may be used to pur-chase existing facilities as well as tofinance new construction. To obtainapproval of the Texas Industrial Com-mission, it must be shown that a bondproject results in the creation of jobsor the savings of existing jobs, andbenefits the general community. []

Fields, Port Commissioner Howard J. Middleton after ceremony

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14 Port of Houston Magazine

Wolfgang Sell of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Heinz Buick ofHamburg-Sud/Columbus, Herbert Grundmann of Drew Ameroid, KlausSchroedter of "Hansa Shipping Monthly," and Waterland

Haden and Bernd Klitschke of Willers, Engle & Co.

PHA trade missionPort commissioners and Port of Houston Authority ex-

ecutives recently completed a two-week trade developmentmission to Europe.

Representing the Port Authority were Port Commis-sioners W.D. Haden II, Marcella D. Perry and John H. Gar-

rett, as well as Richard P. Leach, executive director, and Ar-mando S. Waterland, international sales manager.

The group visited ship owners and other members of the

J.F. Eschricht of "DVZ Transport Weekly," J. Busch of Weser Spedition,H.J. Schmidt of "Verkehrswirtschaft," and H.O. Ohrt of the Port of Ham-burg

Dr. Ralf Schneider of "Kehrwieder", H. Meder of "Gefahrliche Ladung"and Gerhard Riedel, a shipping journalist.

Irmgard Hennig and Peter Stork of Worlee Chemie GmbH

Kurt J. Schimmelpfeng of Association of Hamburg Forwarding Com-panies and J.P. Schryver of H.J. Schryver & Co.

Haden, U.S. Consul General Grant E. Mouser III, Jon E. Falck andChristel Wagner of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office

Dieter Hertel of "Die Welt", Gisela Mackensen of D.P.A., and W. Mord-horst of "Taglicher Hafenberricht"

16

Dr. F.W. Ramcke of Fairplay Tug Co., B. von Dein of Intergermania andKonrad Wenzel of A. Hartrodt & Co.

Port of Houston Magazine

to Europe completedshipping communities in Rotterdam, London, Hamburg,Munich and Paris. On Page 16 are photographs from theHamburg reception, which was held at the Four SeasonsHotel with more than 70 attending. On Page are 17 photosfrom the London reception, which was attended by morethan 100 persons, at the Savoy Hotel. Identification is madefrom left to right.

Next month, photographs from the other receptions willbe published. E. Forbes of the American Chamber of Commerce, G.G. Howard of the

Salvage Association, and Haden

R. Gane of T&J Harrison Ltd., R. Cassey of Occidental International OilCo., Perry, and H.W.E. Veal of Lykes Lines Agency, Inc.

P. Woodward of "Seatrade," A. Smith of "ContainerisationInternational," G.F. Swaine of Furness Withy Chartering, and Leach

J.N. Black of the Port of London, Capt. D.L. Smith and Capt. W.H.R.Lawrence of Shell Petroleum Co., Ltd.

A. Cansick of Occidental, Capt. C.J. Kotzias of J.C. Carras & Sons Ltd.,and C. Connington of Continental Grain

A.J. Smith of the British Ports Association, C. Germain of James Bur-rough Ltd., A. Day of Charles Tanqueray & Company Ltd., V.G. Paige ofthe Port of London, and Waterland

R.M Moss of Bank & Savill Line, M. Allen of British Caledonian, M. Pud-den of the British Ports Association, and F.K. Crawford of the NationalShipping Company of Saudi Arabia

N.H.J. Greenwood of Bank & Savill, P. Shimwell of James A. McLaren &Co., Ltd., P.L. Cornish of Andrew Weir Ltd., J.B. Hutchinson of Bank LineLtd., E. Parry of the Shipping Corporation of New Zealand, and G.B.Peters of Bank Line

F.J. Spencer and Curtis Spencer of the Houston FTZ Corporation, D.Foster of Bunge & Co., H.W.E. Veal of Lykes Lines Agency, and E.J. Sibreeof James A. McLaren

G.B. Peters of Bank Line, Waterland, N.H.J. Greenwood of Bank &Savill, Perry, and E. Parry of the Shipping Corporation of New Zealand

P.L. Cornish of Andrew Weir, D. Maloney ofthe Shipping Corporation ofNew Zealand, J.B. Hutchinson of Bank Line, and Haden

September 1983 17

Rear Admiral William H. Stewart, commander of the Eighth Coast GuardDistrict, pins another medal on Captain Ralph W.H. Bartels.

Command of HoustonCoast Guard stationpassed with pomp

The change of command ceremony for the U.S. CoastGuard Port Safety Station in Houston is steeped in tradition.

The colors--the flags of the United States and of theCoast Guard--are paraded before station personnel. The na-tional anthem plays over loudspeakers. Officers outfitted intheir dress blues with gold braid and rows of medals inspectthe ranks in time-honored fashion.

According to Coast Guard lore, the ceremony serves asthe visible symbol of the orderly passing of authority andresponsibility of command from one officer to another.

On this particular day, U.S. Coast Guard Captain RalphW.H. Bartels passed his command of the Port Safety Stationand captain of the Port of Houston to Captain Joel D. Sipes.Captain Bartels had held the post since 1979.

Photos by Ray Carrington With heads bowed and sabres in hand, Rear Admiral Stewart, CaptainBartels and Captain Sipes listen to the benediction.

18

The colors are paraded before members of Houston’s Coast Guard Port Safety Station.

Port of Houston Magazine

WORLDWIDE TRANSPORTATION

It’s Lykes for fast, dependableservice between the U.S. Gulf/S. Atlantic/Great Lakes and theMediterranean. Here’s why¯ Every eight day servicer greatestfrequency of sailings from the U.S.Gulf.¯ Fastest westbound transit timesfrom Italy to the U.S. Gulf and SouthAtlantic ports.¯ Every 18 day frequency fromS. Atlantic to the Mediterranean.¯ Efficient, money saving servicebetween the Great Lakes andMediterranean.¯ Versatile fleet of conventionalvessels and Lykes’ unique SEABEEintermodal transport system isavailable.¯ Cargo handling expertise,including - bulk and breakbulkcargoes, project and oversizedpieces, industrial and agriculturalequipment, commodities andcontainers.

¯ Plus, Lykes’ superior intermodalcapability linking most U.S. andforeign interior points with singlebills of lading.

Lykes’ Professionals make thisworldwide transportation systemwork for you.

Skilled in every phase of oceantransportation and point to pointdelivery, Lykes Professionals offeryou service between the GreatLakes, U.S. South Atlantic, Gulf andWest Coasts and the U.K., Europe,Mediterranean, South and EastAfrica, the West Coast of SouthAmerica and the Far East.

There are Lykes Professionals oragents near you. Give them a call.Let them make your job a lot easier.After all, they’ve been doing it forover 80 years!

Lykes LinesWorld HeadquartersLykes Center/New Orleans, LA

U.S. Offices: New Orleans/Beaumont/Chicago/Dallas/Galveston/Hooston/Long Beach/Mobile/New York/Portland/St. Louis/San Francisco/Washington D.C.International Offices: Antwerp/Bremen/Callao/Durban/Genoa/Hong Kong/London/Mombasa/Tokyo

September 1983 19

TAKE THE UNCERTAINTYOUT OF SHIPPING TOWE.ll’AFRICA.Barber West Africa Line takes theworry out of shipping to West Africaby offering service that’s not onlysuperior, but dependable.

In fact, with a 90% on-time

record, a seven to eight hour turn-around time, and unbeatabletransit time, the competition is leftfar behind in our wake.

For example, New York to

20

Abidjan in 14 days and from Hous-ton in 24 days. New York to Lagos in16 days, from Houston in 26 days.

So get the fastest, most de-pendable service to West Africawith Barber West Africa Line--andtake the uncertainty out ofshipping.

badger

THE AFRICARRIERSGeneral Agent: Barber Steamship Lines, 17 Battery Place, NY, NY (212] 908-1234

Port of Houston Magazine

Cooper hangs its hat in a lot of places,

ii

In’fact,whichever port your cargo is com-ing into or going out of, there’s a good chanceCooper’s already hung its hat there.With expertsupervision, the latest equipment, the lowestcosts. And the personal service that Cooper’sbeen giving for three generations.

After all, that’s the way Cooper has built anationwide reputation,Coo~erSo, wherever yourcargo goes, think o, ~u .,g’~’ev~"or"--about Cooper first.440 Portway Plaza, 1717 E. Loop, Houston, Texas 77029, (713)672-5663.

September 1983 21

A smiling Jo McMillan greets visitors at Harry’s bar

Houston shipping crowd

Ernest(Editor’s Note: This is the first of a series of

reports which will appear from time to time onplaces where Houston’s port people congregate toeat and drink.)

By JOE CHAPMAN

If Ernest Hemingway’s ghost stalk-ed Houston, it would probably takemidnight nips and snacks at Harry’sAmerican Bar & Restaurant.

Harry is no one in particular. He isthe fictional embodiment of a personmany of us would like to be forawhile--a foreign correspondent, warhero, sport fisherman, big-game hunter,novelist, world traveier and raconteur.Someone like Hemingway. Harry ex-ists only in the vivid imaginations ofCharlie Thobae and Robert Grainger,owners of Harry’s.

The apocryphal Harry practicallycomes to life when reading theliterature Thobae wrote to promotethe restaurant, a gathering place forsome members of Houston’s shippingcommunity. The reading material is sowell done that if one did not knowHarry was fictional, the story wouldbe swallowed hook, line and sinker.

One card has the restaurant’sdistinctive logo placed over a pictureof a mustachioed, young soldier in aWorld War I-vintage uniform. A pilot’swings are readily recognizable. Underthe picture are the words, "TheRemarkable Harry." On the backsideof the card is a little story aboutHarry, even listing his years of birthand death.

Those knowledgeable about Hem-ingway can note similarities between

22 Port of Houst,m Magazine

does

would have haunted Harry’s placethe lives of the famous author and ofHarry. For instance, Harry also foughtfor the Republic struggling for freedomin Spain. Hemingway’s experiencethere was chronicled in "For Whomthe Bell Tolls."

Thobae once operated an advertisingagency, The Communications Group,which accounts for the high quality ofthe writing and design of the printedmaterial on Harry. Among theagency’s accounts were steamshipagencies, lines and ancillary servicecompanies. Thobae quit the ad agencybusiness and went into therestaurant/bar business. His loyalcustomers at the agency continued be-ing loyal customers at Harry’s. Andthe customers brought their clients.

6 6~ome~ very substantial--and Imean substantial--deals have been clos-ed here," Thobae said, pointing outthat the booths in the place lendthemselves to private discussions.

The menu at Harry’s reflects thetastes of someone who is well-traveled.Appetizers run the gamut from pateand sauteed mushrooms to friedcheese, guacamole, pico de gallo andtostados.

Standard entrees include broiledfresh red snapper filet, grilled sword-fish steak, Harry’s Mexican chickenbreasts, curry of chicken, filet mignonand Harry’s favorite brisket. There areeven sandwiches such as the GreatAmerican Hamburger and the Pin-nacle Fried Egg Sandwich. Side ordersinclude Spinach Arlo Guthrie andguacamole. Desserts range from mud

Harry as aviator

Harry at time of death

pie and Katy’s cheesecake to espressoand cappuccino.

The restaurant is decorated withstuffed animals, such as ducks, deerand fish-- "trophies Harry would havecollected," Thobae explained. Actually,

they belong to Grainger, Thobae’spartner.

There is a poster from a bullfight inMadrid. A bow and arrow from anAmazon tribe. (Harry, by the way,died at the age of 82. He was killed bya poisoned dart shot by a Jivaroheadhunter while Harry was floatingdown a river in Peru.)

And there are flags. John Moyell,vice president of Armada Shipping inHouston, presented a flag bearing thecompany’s green delta insignia toThobae. Other members of the steam-ship industry were not about to beoutdone, so they brought their owncompany flags. Sea-Land, Hansen andTidemann, and SafMarine, are amongthose duly represented. The flags hangfrom the ceiling over the polishedwood bar. More flags will undoubtedlybe added.

The location of Harry’s helps tomake the place attractive to the steam-ship community. The restaurant/bar islocated at 1511 Shepherd Drive, fourblocks south of Interstate 10. The loca-tion is easily accessible fromdowntown and the North Loop-Northwest Freeway area whereserveral maritime businesses arelocated. When Thobae says thatHarry’s is just 10-20 minutes awayfrom any steamship agency office, heis pretty accurate.Harry’s is open Monday-Friday, serv-

ing food from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.,with the bar open till 2 a.m. On Satur-day’s, Harry’s opens at 5 p.m. andcloses at 2 a.m. Sunday is a day ofrest. Major credit cards are accepted. []

September 1983 23

Capacity. Competence.Credibility.¯ Cranes with capacities exceeding

200 tons.

¯ Fork lift fleet with capacities to80,000 pounds.

¯ Specializing in steel, project, andheavy-lift cargoes inbound andoutbound.

¯ Marshalling yard inside the Portfor project cargo. Steel yard fi)rstoring or distributing steelprojects.

¯ Complete break-bulk and con-tainer services.

¯ Bonded or public warehousingand trucking facilities at subsid-iary Sea Marine Warehouse.

¯ Constant supervision at everyjob, large or small.

¯ Port Stevedoring Company isone of the largest locally ownedstevedoring companies on theGulf Coast. We invite yourinquiry.

i.

Executive Office ¯ 901 World Trade Bldg. ̄ 1520 Texas Avenue ̄ Houston, Texas 77002(713) 227-2173 .TWX 910-881-5790Dock Office ¯ 8125 Plummer St. ¯ Houston, Texas 77029 ̄ (713) 675-2378

24 Port of Houston Magazine

NORMCO LEASING, INC.Introducing our Bulk & Covered Warehouse Facility

Only Three (3) Blocks from the Turning Basin/

¯ Over five (5) acres of concretepads for outside storage.

¯ 40,000 square feet of insidestorage.

¯ Complete dry bulk processing:A. CrushingB. ScreeningC. BaggingD. PalletizingE. Barrel loading and unloadingF. Container loading and

unloading

¯ Bonded or non-bonded storage

¯ Telex and telecopier to enabletotal inventory control

¯ No order to large or too small

¯ United States and Texas wattslines for your convenience.

¯ Additional seven (7) acres outside storage.

¯ Certified truck scales on site.

¯ Complete rail car service on site:A. Box car loading and unload-

ing on packaged or bulkgoods.

B. Gondola loading or unloadingin bulk.

C. One of the very few "public"hopper car unloading faci-lities.

D. Open and covered hopper carloading.

¯ 24-hour security

Fleet of modern trucks with na-tionwide I.C.C. and R.R.C. oper-ating rights and bonded cartmanlicense.

¯ Unusual orders our specialty

Further Information:

Normco Leasing, Inc.1525 North 75th St.

Houston, Texas 77011(713) 923-9495

800-392-5508 Texas Watts Line800-231-9552 U.S. Watts Line

Attention: Carl Norman

September 198325

Willy J. Toedtli of Trafimar S.A. and Franciso Mendoza,Valdez, and J. Luis Romero, all of Phibro de Mexico.

Guillermo Antonio Gomez Yepez of Transgoyan S.A., Tillmann Schumacher ofConcord International and Clause Ranking of Cime S.A.

Port says ’gracias’to Mexico shippers

The Port of Houston Authority held its annual reception in Mexico City recentlyto say "gracias" to the shipping community. Mexico has been one of the Port ofHouston’s leading trading part ners for years, accounting for more than $1.8 billionworth of trade in 1982, making the country the Port’s No. 2 trading partner.

To show its appreciation to the country’s shippers, forwarders, customhousebrokers and others, Richard P. Leach, executive director of the Port of HoustonAuthority, and Armando S. Waterland, international sales manager for the Port ofHouston Authority, hosted a well-attended reception at the beautiful La Haciendade los Morales Restaurant. These photographs, with identification made from left toright, were made at the reception.

Hans Klug of Tecomar S.A., Horst Joescht of Volkswagen de Mexico, Leach, Richard McGregor of Sea Land and Edgardo Mejia of Transconand H.P. Kostan of Schenker Panamerican. S.A.

Armando Bas of Ford S.A., Jaime Flores of Southern Pacific, Juan Jim Tompkins of Lykes Lines, Leach, Jim Brittain of Brittain InternationalMerigo of Trafimar S.A. and Rosil Nesbergh of the U.S. Embassy. and Gerry Coterillo of Lykes Lines.

i /i

Alijandro Merigo and Gorge Trindade, both of Panalpina, BernardYubser of Transmaritime and Luigi Gaiatto of Panalpina.

26

Maria de Jesus Franco of Distribuidora Martell Sy Acosta (inbackground) of Strachan Shipping, and Jesus Aguila and Mario Salinas,both of Frans Maas Mexico.

Port of Houston Magazine

Bernard Le Male of Mexicana de Cobne, Odilon Montero of Comexpo F. Olguin Jr. and Francisco Olguin, both of O.H. Internacional, andand Waterland. Leach.

Jorge Cisneros of Trafimar, Luis Salinas of Salinas Forwarding Co., Emi-biano Chavez of General Motors and Arturo Arista of Transportes de NuevoLaredo.

Raul Osuna of ICS de Mexico and Klaus Leufenmayr of Navemar.

Piero Pavesio of Trafimar, Hector Viera and Jorge Andvade Roa, both ofFertimex, and Waterland.

Watedand, Luis Salinas of Salinas Forwarding and Claude Pajot ofC.A.T.

Waterland, Horst Joesch of Volkswagen de Mexico and Helmut Muellerof Tecomar.

Leach, Herman Stoldt of Tecomar and Mrs. Stoldt.

Amparo Cortes and Nan Sponberg, both of Posey International, andHans Klug of Tecomar.

Waterland, I. Villareal of Southern Pacific, Willy Toedtli of Trafimar andArmando Bas of Ford.

September 1983 27

Advantage-.U.S.A. General Agent: Medafrica Line (U.S.A.) Inc,

22 Cortlandt StreetNew York, N.Y. 10007Tel.: 212-962-5111

U.S. Gulf Agent: Strachan Shipping Co.2100 N. Loop WestHouston, Texas 77018Tel: 713-683-3500

spa.

28 Port of Houston Magazine

BRIDGE OF THEAMERICAS

6

|

For too long natural trade opportunities for theAmericas have been forfeited to Europe and the

Far East. Delta Line is beginning a long-rangeprogram of upgraded transportation service to

bring the countries of Latin America and NorthAmerica closer together.

That means containerization. At Delta we aredeveloping a comprehensive program of

intermodal shipping to help open up newmarkets for American shippers.

We’re also streamlining our LASH (lighteraboard ship) services.

Delta is committed to new investment, newmethods and old-fashioned teamwork to

facilitate trade for the Americas.

A Crowley Company

New Orleans. New York. San FranciscoOffices and agents in other major cities

| I

i!ii~!ii!il~~Paul Pella of the Port of Pascagoula, Loretta DuBose, and Elvira and Pete Schaff of the Port of Freeport.

Gulf Ports Association meets in HoustonThe Gulf Ports Association held its

annual fall meeting in Houston recently.During the three days of meetings,

members discussed a wide range oftopics. The group also took time off totour the Port of Houston aboard the in-spection vessel, M/V SAM HOUSTON.

Richard P. Leach, executive directorof the Port of Houston Authority, waspresident of the organization. PeteSchaff, executive director of the port ofFreeport, took over as president at theend of the meeting. Leach was electedchairman of the Mid-Gulf SeaportsMarine Terminal Conference during themeeting.

These pictures were taken at theopening reception held at the WestinGalleria Hotel. The Port Authority andthe Journal of Commerce sponsored theevent. Identification is made from left toright.

Wayne and Jo Ann Page of the Port of Corpus Christi, Joseph Neil of Southern Pacific Railroad andGary Judy of the Journal of Commerce, New York.

I~ iI

Chuck Devoy of the Port of Galveston and F.W. Colburn of the Port ofHouston Authority.

30

Sandra and Jay Clark of the Port of Gulfport, Mississippi

Port of Houston Magazine

Speed. Economy. Reliability. That’s justthe beginning of what you get when you

choose Sail Shipping.

Sail offers a complete range of servicesfor fully containerized and breakbulk

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NEW YORK: 212/509-2100

September 1983 31

/Consul General Harold Midttun of Norway, Araki, Otto Goedecke, Association president

Japan’s new Houston consul generalreceives warm Texas welcome

Members of the Houston WorldTrade Association and the Houstonbusiness community gathered recentlyat the Hyatt Regency Hotel towelcome Houston’s new consul generalfrom Japan, Taizan Araki.

Otto Goedecke, president of theHouston World Trade Association,told the crowd the luncheon was topay tribute to Araki as well as tohonor his country. Araki succeededSadao Saito.

ARAKI SAID the Houston skylinehas changed significantly since he lastvisited in 1978. He said the changingskyline is symbolic of Houston’sgrowth.

Araki said that even though theaverage Japanese citizen would prob-ably know that Houston is famousfor NASA and being the energycapital of the world, he said it did nottake him long to realize that Houstonoffers more than spaceships and oil.

As Houston has grown, so has itsrole in international trade. Japan playsa role in that growth, Araki said. Oneindication of the importance of Japan-Houston trade is the caliber of interna-

tional guests that visit his homeland,Araki said.

PRESIDENT RONALD Reaganwill visit his country in the fall. Thepresident of the University ofHouston, Dr. Charles Bishop, will bevisiting Japan, and so will LouieWelch, president and chief executiveofficer of the Houston Chamber ofCommerce.

Araki said such interchanges willhelp the countries to understand eachother’s culture. Sharing informationfrom the fields of medicine and com-munications also should help bringHouston and Japan closer, Araki said.

Houston and Japan also benefitfrom the sister city program, withHouston and Chiba exchangingstudents and visits with local officials,Araki said.

He said one of his main desires is tostrengthen cultural and economic tiesbetween the Space City and Japan.

ECONOMIC TIES between thetwo already are on firm ground. Japanwas the Port of Houston’s leadingtrading partner in 1981 and 1982.Japan has held the top spot for more

than 20 years, except for 1978-1980.In 1982, two-way trade between

Japan and the Port of Houstonamounted to 3,848,278 tons worth$3,237,794,136.

In closing Araki said he hopes to getto know the Houston business com-munity so trade can be improved evenmore.

ARAKI’S WORK experience in theJapanese government provides himwith an excellent background to han-dle his Houston consular chores. Hegraduated from Osaka University forForeign Studies in 1953. After enteringthe Ministry of Foreign Affairs, heserved in the Public InformationBureau, the Economic Affairs Bureau,the United Nations Bureau, and theForeign Press Center.

He also served as cabinet secretaryto Prime Minister Sato. He has servedin diplomatic and consular posts inVietnam, Norway, Chicago,Yugoslavia and Toronto.

Prior to his Houston assignment, hewas deputy chief of protocol for theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and masterof ceremonies for the imperialhousehold. []

32 Port of Houston Magazine