Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-09

Morocco is badly farmed. The lands are
| fertile. but the soil is only scratched, and
! there is no immunity from the exactions OF
| the tax gatherers. There are vast plains In
| the south, which yield large quantities OF
| wheat. but transportation is so high that
| 1t is impossible to take 1t where it is most
needed There are also laws against the
expectation of grain, and as a result most
of the wheat is consumed in and about
where it is raised. Some of 1t is carried to
the hills near by, for the mountain tribes
have to rely upon the plains for their -four.
Railroads VS.. Donkeys.
I asked some questions about railroads.
Mr.. Harris says that the Moors object to
them. on the ground that they would be
a foreign innovation, and also because they
would put the donkeys. mules and camels
out of business AS it is now, the whole
trade of Morocco goes by caravan, or by
sea from port to port. The freight rates
per animal In the interior are compare
lively low. and the charges for board and
feed at the Moorish hotels are almost moth
ing. In Fee 1t costs about cents a day to
feed camel. and less than 3 cents a day
for a horse a mule. The ordinary ma
tive can be taken care of for little more
The expenses on the road are also cheap,
but the loads carried are SO small that an
animal will soon eat up the value Of its
freight.
AS to the transportation of foreigners,
the cost is enormous. The distance from
Tangier to Fee is about 10 miles, and in
the United States railroad journey Of
that distance. at cents mile, would cost,
including baggage, just $50 and the time
required would be less than five hours. The
ordinary foreigner cannot make Fee in
less than a week. and the cost of the jour-
ney there from Tangfer will be from twenty
to thirty dollars a day. 1 thought of max
ing the trip, expecting to spend a month
on the way there and back. One of Cooks
dragomen said that l should have to pay
$50 per day for all the time of my absence,
making my one months journey including
n stay of two weeks at Fee, cost me 81 ,05O
For this trip I should have to employ
soldier or so. and would have required
about three mules to carry my baggage, as
we'll mules for myself and guide and
cook. I should have had to camp out
every night, and would have been lucky
had reached Fee in one week. In connec-
ton with the American legation at Tangier
l found dragoman who offered to give me
the same accommodations for $500. At the
same time there was great danger of being
captured by brigands on the way and held
for ransom; and. on the whole, / did not
think the trip worth the risk.
Our American minister, who made the
journey from Tangier to Fee month or
so ago, spent twelve days on the way. He
had a large company of soldiers, furnished
by the sultan. and the sultan paid all his
expenses, amounting to many thousands of
dollars. 1 understand that the minister
toook the ladies Of his family with him,
but, inasmuch as their expenses also came
out of the Moroccan government, Uncle
Sam will probably have no objection.
Railroads In Morocco.
When one or other of the great powers Of
Europe takes possession Of Morocco, and
doubt not this will soon come to pass. one
of the first things will be the building Of
railroad from Tangier to Fee. If the
French should be awarded the protection
of the country they will probably extend
their railroad which now goes from Tlemcen
to the capital of Morocco. Neither route
offers any great mechanical difficulties, and
both would probably pay. A short line from
Fee to one of the ports of the Atlantic and
from Marrakech to the same coast would