Dewey County advocate. [volume] (Timber Lake, S.D.) 1910-1913, 1912-05-03


try-Algeria on the east and Casa
blanca on the west-France has
watched proceedings and played the
game, adding point from time to
time to her score. Her great coup
(since the occupation of Casablanca)
occurred last winter, when disturbed
conditions at Fee offered pretext to
send military expedition against the
capital and occupy it. This. Of course,
was directly responsible for rousing
Germany again and the dispatch by
the latter of gunboat to Agadir. The
ugly situation thus arising has now
been settled by Germany's consent to
a French protectorate, which means
Morocco's virtual end as an indie
pendent state and her assumption as
part of Frances North African pos
sessions.
AS suggested at the outset, Frances
first work will be means Of communi-
cation. So far there Is not railroad
In all Morocco. There is not even
wagon road outside of the cities,
much less any vehicles to travel ono.
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 light
er loads donkeys and women are the
cheapest and most convenient.
Women Carry Flrewood.
Women bring all the f1rewood into
Tangier, packing 1t In bundles ON
eight or ten miles. The only thanks
they get for their labors Is to BE-
looked down upon by the men, among
whom there is an ancient and honor
able proverb which says: "A man
wishing advice upon any undertaking
should consult his best ten friends.
If he has not ten friends. let him
consult each of his best five friends
twice. If he has not five friends, let
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 1t
may be assumed that women as means
of transportation will gradually be
superseded by better and more hui
name means. Indeed. one Of the first
acts of the French in Casablanca was
to introduce the two-wheeled 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 A.
lantic ocean is one of the cherished
French designs, and preliminary sur
veys for this have already been made.
It will 60 either by way Of Fee or
have spur connecting with that city.
It's seaboard terminus depends on tho
site which Is chosen for the creation
of a new Atlantic port.
Such port is one OF the immeds-
ate necessities for the development
Of the country. Not only is Ell Mogreb
deficient in means of communication
within her borders, but she is most
awkwardly situated in respect to get
ting goods to or out from the coast.
One hears much about the ports OF
Morocco and the value of this and
that one. but the truth is that on her
one thousand miles of coast, Mediter-
ranean or Atlantic, the country has
not a single first-class port. Even
Tangier is Indifferent.
But it is the western seaboard that
is particularly unfortunate. 1t IL
flanked most of the way by a bar
extending out mile or so from shore,
and making 1t necessary for steam
ships to lie on at that distance, dis.
charging passengers and cargo b.
means of barges. In some weather IL
is impossible to do this at all. and
after lying on town for perhaps 4
week, waiting for suitable conditions,
the little coasting vessels that ply
these trade routes frequently give 1t
up and 60 on. IF you want to spend
two days In Rabat," 1t is said, you
want to allow two months for the
visit For 1t may take you a month
to get there and another to get away"
Casablanca is not SO bad. but it IN
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
I'D anchor and be on In case OF storm.