NEW PROJECT AT NUMAZU

During the “Peace on Earth” International Assembly, in October 1969, Brother Knorr announced that the Society was purchasing a new property at Numazu, seventy-five miles southwest of Tokyo. From April 1970, a group of four missionaries, the Society’s shipping department and the Kingdom Ministry School moved into the nine Japanese-style houses on this acre of ground. Another 400 brothers were trained here in the school. This area, lying between Mount Fuji and a beautiful shoreline, is a real paradise for preaching the good news of the Kingdom. When they took up their missionary service in the nearby Fuji Congregation, all the servants’ duties were being handled by sisters. At that time they were averaging seven publishers in the field each month, but now they have thirty-seven publishers, including eight baptized brothers.

On a visit to Japan in July 1971, Brother Knorr laid the foundation for a great new project at Numazu. He drew up plans for a three-story factory and a five-story Bethel home. In the latter part of 1971, all buildings except the two-story “missionary home” in one corner of the property were demolished. Construction began in earnest from January 1972. The Japanese brothers contributed most generously by loans and direct donations, so that it was possible to finance this huge undertaking without calling for funds from overseas. By arrangement with the construction company, the brothers also undertook all the electrical work for the new buildings, all the painting, and all the tiling and carpeting. A Canadian missionary, Eustace Kite, has very capably supervised all this work.

At the same time, manufacturers in Kawasaki City and in Osaka commenced the construction of three forty-ton rotary printing presses and auxiliary printing equipment. One press is for the Numazu branch, and the others for the Australian and Philippines branches. By early June construction had proceeded to the point that the rotary press and other equipment could be installed on the first and second floors of the Numazu factory. Brother Milan Miller came from the Society’s Brooklyn factory to supervise this installation. When Brother Miller walked into the Numazu factory for the first time, he described it in one word: “Stupendous!” Measuring it out, he said eight rotary presses could be installed on the first floor of the factory, if it were ever required. However, we are very happy for the present to have just the one rotary press turning out the magazines in one small corner of the factory. And already it is operating beautifully, printing up to 21,000 magazines an hour. Its first product was a sixteen-page color brochure containing principally the 1972 district assembly public talk. How delighted the brothers were to receive this surprise release at the conclusion of the assembly!

On August 15, 1972, the completed factory and Bethel home were handed over to the Society by the construction company. Painting and other finishing work will keep the brothers busy for another month or two, but already they are occupying the sixteen completed bedrooms on the third floor of the home. The fourth and fifth floors provide for another thirty-two bedrooms, and the second floor is occupied mainly by a spacious library, dining room and kitchen. Office, laundry and boiler room, as well as a lovely Kingdom Hall, are on the first floor. Three container shipments of literature have already arrived from Brooklyn, to vanish into the spacious storage space of the factory. A large freight elevator and battery forklift make it easy to move large items round the factory building. The carpenter shop is working to capacity in turning out furnishings for the home and factory.

The elevator motor and windlass are housed in a watchtower that rises above the two buildings. From this watchtower there is a magnificent view, not only of the buildings, but also of the pine-fringed shoreline and of a luxuriant countryside dominated by the towering Mount Fuji.

[Picture on page 254]

Numazu printing plant and Bethel home