Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-06-07
ERA OF RAILROAD BUILDING BEGINS Balkan States Offer Lucra- tive Field to Contractors
 and Investors.
GREECE LEADING WAY
Closes Contract for Line of Fifty.sey. en Niles That Will Give Her Di- rect Connection With Europe.
 Seryia'S Plans.
(Ry Steven Burnett0

tDy ottNtu bUIlltlt.J
 Berlin, June 6.-American contract ors and investors may find in the Balkans a lucrative field and it is certain that their European competi- tors are energetically exploiting this area following the close of the war, which has served to release the eco- homie energies of the hitherto unset tied states. An ewinent authority on the subject informs me that Greece, Servia, Bulgaria and even Turkey all are hastening to carry out long planned railways which are destined to transform the economic conditions Of the Balkans.
 Greece is easily the first, owing to variety of favorable circumstances. These who are inclined to blame her for the slow pace of her political and social as we'll as economic develop ment ought to remember that she has hitherto been condemned to a sort of geographical isolation, due to the ab- sence of railway connection with Europe. To reach Athens from Europe it was necessary to go either to Brindisi or to Constantinople, and there embark upon a boat. Her north ern provinces of Thessaly were situ- ated in this respect still worse.
 All this, however, was not the fault of Greece. AS far back as 1900, she made an agreement with the French Batignolles company for the construc- ton of a line proceeding from Pirae- us over Athens to Larissa, and still further along the Tempe valley to the mouth of the Peneios. Her idea was then the induce the Turkish gov ernment to construct line from Salonika, going along the coast of the gulf to a junction with the La rissa railway on the Graeco-Turkish frontier somewhere about Platamona Point. In this way Greece would have been connected with Europe by means of the Salonika-U a-Uskub-Nish-Belg elgrade- Vienna railway.
 But Turkey would not at first even listen to the proposal, which threat ened to add to the Greek influence at Salonika, and when at last she did agree, she demanded that the line
 
 Salonika-not along the coast, as that would have exposed it to a naval at tack from the gulf, but straight through the mountains through Tyr maya and Elassona to a junction with the Monastir- -Salonika line .at Veria (Karaferia). As the proposal was not acceptable to Greece, the negotiations came to a deadlock, and there the matter prac- tically ended. But now that Greece i has come into the possession not only of Salonika, but also of the greater part of the Salonika-Monastir line, she has hastened to take up the old agreement with the Societe Batig- nolles. and M. Venizelos signed the other day the final convention for inc construction of the railway to salonika. It will have a length of about 57 miles, and proceed from Marali-Zerven, the point where the ! branch from Larissa to the coast has stopped along the coast over Ekater- ina to Gida, close to Salonika, on the Monastir line. .,
 If is expected that the line will be ready within year, and then at las' Greece will be in direct connection with Europe.
 Next comes Servia. with her grand scheme for a Danube-Adriatic line This is an old and favorite scheme ol Servia first conceived by her as means of economic emancipation rom Austria. through whose territory she has to do all her foreign trade. Later on she found an outlet through salon ike. but the port lying still III Iurk- ish hands, the Danube-Adriatle 1 scheme continued to hold the neid. | Now it is officially announced tha' the work on the railway is about te ho commenced. The, line Will star somewhat more to the north than Wal originally intended, namely, at brzs i pofanka where it will be connected Inv bridge over the Danube with tnt poumanian railway. The line VII then come down to Nlsn, the nus important railway junction m oerv,a and thence, in accordance Wlth tn' nriginal plans, will proceed throusl prishtina. and Prizrend to the vaiie! of tbe Blak Drin, on the Alpanlai territory, emerge from the latter a n;hra and re-enter it again hea. struga. in order to run the SRumo' and finally reach Durazzos
 Grigsby's Liv-yer-lax, that deiiclou liver syrap, has displaced calomel Il nearly every home. Good for grown s .hu5ran aJika. Ask BedelP