Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-05-04
RAILROADS IN ABYssINlA.
England and France Planning Lines
to Further Their CONNER
cial Interests.


At the end of December there tool
place, in Paris, a general meeting of the
international Ethiopian Railway Trust
and Construction company, at which
were present the directors OF the French
Jibutil and Harrar Railway company.
The object of the gathering. says the
New York Sun, vas TO consider the best
means of reconciling the commercial in
terests of France and Great Britain in
Abyssinia, and in that part of Africa
generally. The full details of the ar
rangements under consideration have
not been made public, and probably will
not be published for some time yet, as
they are complicated and in some re-
spects conflicting.
The French company was originally
formed TO construct a line from JibutiI
to Harrar, with pr%olongation to Adds
Abeba, the capital of Abyssinia, condi-
tlonal on the consent of Menelik. The
French government votes a subsidy Of
100000 francs annually; but the French
investor was still under the influence
Of the Panama catastrophe, and refused
to come forward with the capital re-
CURED. Much against its will, the
French company had recourse to Lon
don, and with the assistance obtained
there the road to Harrar was completed.
The question of the continuation to
Addis-Abeba then came up; but the
French asked too much. They not only
wanted to assure their position as first
In h field, but also desired to exclude
all outsiders from Abyssinia. When
Menelik, after the publication of the
convention, came fully to realize its i'm
port, he obstinately refused to recognize
a French monopoly of railway con-
struction and exploitation in his coun-
try, and deferred to an undetermined
date the extension of the railway from
Harrar to his capital. The object of the
French being pacific penetration"
other methods of overcoming the diff
guilty had to be found.
Inc one that presented the best
chance of success was the formation Of
an international enterprise, under the
auspices of certain capitalists in Lon
don, and the abandonment by the
French government of the hope of turn
ing Abyssinia into an exclusive French
preserve. What the difference to
Menelik may be, if at some time he finds
himself at odds with several foreign
governments, instead of one only. over
railway or other questions, say of gold
fields, must be reserved for time to show.
For the moment he seems to be under
the belief that he can best exercise his
sovereign rights over his own country
by keeping out individual foreign in
terests at all events those of countries
which have become his neighbors by
the occupation of adjoining territories.
1t was this consideration that caused
him to give ready and favorable con-
sideration to the treaty with our govern
ment, and which has inclined him to re-
ceive the German mission under Herr
Rosen lately decided on at Berlin.
Among the articles of the project that
was to be presented to the meeting of
British and French delegates of the two
enterprises for railway and general de-
velopment in Abyssinia, is said to have
been one for the naturalization ofthat
country with Decentralization of the
Imperial Ethiopian railway. and an
other under which Jibutil, in French
possession, and Berbera, in British con-
troll, shall become free ports. 1t was
thought that these two proposals would
be found acceptable to the entire body of
delegates and all those interested. it
being understood that they already had
the approval of the British and French
governments.
In what light Menelik may regard
this disposal of the resources of his
country by outsiders is a matter the de-
Of which will be extremely
interesting to watch. 1t is said that he
mas lately come into possession of means
will enable him to hold his own.