Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-05-20

/ try4algeria on the east and Casa
! blanca on. the west-France has
| watched proceedings and played the
! game, ad ding: a. point from time to
time to her. score. Her. great coup
tsince the occupation OF Casablanca'
occurred last winter, when disturbed
conditions at Fee offered pretext 10
send a military expedition against the
capital and occupy it. This, Of course
was directly responsible for rouslng
Germany again and tbe dispatca oy
| the latter OF a ganboat to Agadlr. Inc
ugly situation thus arising has now
been settled by Germany's conaea- 10
French protectorate. Yhlch means
Morocco's virtual end az 81 znde-
| pendent state and her a5sumpt.o,l as
part OF Frances North African POS
! sessions.
As suggested at the outset. FRANCES
first work Will be means If communl'
\ cation. SO far there is not railroad
In all Morocco. There Is not even
] a wagon road outside OF the cities
much less any vehicles to travel one
Transportation in the land OF the
Moors is on the backs OF camels
mules. donkeys and women. For long
distances camels and mules predomi
, nate. For shorter distances and llgnt
er loads donkeys and women are the
cheapest and most convenient.
Women Carry Frewood.
Women bring all the iirewood into
r&ngier, packing it in bundles on
tteir backs, often from a distance OF
eight or ten miles. The only thanks
they get for their laborS is to he
! looked down upon by the men, among
! whom there is an ancient ard honor
! able proverb which says: "A man
! wishing advice upon any undertaking
should consult his best ten friends
! II he has not ten friends, let MN
! consult each or his best five friends
twice. II he has not five friends, lei
! him consult his one best friend ten
| times. II he has not one best friend
, let him consult his wife, and then do
exactly contrary to what she ad
! vises" With French occupation II
may he assumed that women as means
Of transportation will gradually be
Superseded by better and more hu
name means. Indeed, one OF the first
acts OF the French in Casablanca was
to introduce the two-whceled cart and
begin an Improvement Of roads IN
and about the city making possible
its use.
An east and west railroad through
, Morocco between Algeria and the AT
lantic ocean IS one OF the cherished
French designs. and preliminary sur
yeys for this have already been made
II will 70 either by way OF Fee OF
haze a spur connecting with that city
ItG saaboard terminus depends on the
| site which 10 chosen for the creation
! C. E. naa Atlantic pors.
! Such :. port IS ono CT the immedl-
| az necessities for the development
| c. Tic country. Not only is Ell Mogreb
| d,iie,en: l. n5ans o. communication
within hsr BORDERS, but she is most
a. kTarii.y situated 81 respect 70 get
| tn; goods to OF cut from the coast.
Ols hears much about the ports OF
Morocco and the value Of this and
! thu. one, but the truth is that on her
! one thousand miles Of coast, Mediter-
rsnean or Atlantic. the country has
rot a single tirst-class port. Even
| Tangier is Indifferent.
Bit it is the western seaboard that
is particularly unfortunate. 1t is
fianked most Of the way by a bar
extending out mile or SO from shore,
and making 1t necessary for steam
ships to lie off at that distance, dis
charging passengers and cargo by
means OF barges. In some weather it
is impossible 10 do this at all, and
after living off a town for perhaps a
week waiting for suitable conditions.
the little coastins vessels that ply
those trade routes frequently give It
I'm and 60 on. IF you want to spend
two 6avs in Rabat." it is said. you
want TO allow two months for the
ris;t For il may take you month
tn GOT there and another to get away"
Casablanca IS not so bad, but It Is
far from satisfactory. Jetties already
have been constructed on the water
front, which protect the landing OF
small boats, but the steamships which
they discharge must lie a mile or
more away. beyond the bar. and must
ID anchor and be OF in case OF storm.