The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1916-07-27
EGYPT UNTOUCHED
BY WARS RAVAGES
Furnishes No Soldiers and
Pays No Taxes to Aid
TRADING INCREASED
Country IS Furnishing Many Supplies
to Expeditionary Army and Prices
Are Good-Labor in Greater
Demand Than Ever

London July 5. Correspondence of
the Associated Press)-A Reuter- cor
respondent with the Egyptian expedi-
tionary force writes: Certain it is
that this country remains marvelously
untroubled in the midst of the universal
uproar, though it's peace is constantly
threatened for there can be no doubt
that it was long ago marked down by
our enemies as one of the prizes of sue
cessful war. But the British line in
the desert keeps the active and watch
fur enemy on our eastern frontier in
check. The fanatical hordes of the
western desert and Darfour have re-
ceived a lesson which will probably last
them at least until the end of the war,
and in the interim the real Egypt, the
green strip of the Nile valley and the
delta, the Egypt of the peasant cultiva-
tor of the teeming green fields and
the mud built villages have not been
touched by war. 1t has not heard Il
shot fired or paid penny of extra
taxation.
THE European element in the coun
try has felt the near neighborhood of
war. The shortage of tonnage has at
fected businesses in many cases, al
though in others business men, in spite
OIL nlSn lE6lSnlS anu nlS IL pIlC6S, are
doing better than they ever did before
Many Frenchmen and Italians have
been called to the colors in Europe. The
Germans, Austrians and Turks have
been removed or interned. But the ma
tives are hardly affected at all. They
are not asked to serve-the merest
| handful of Egyptian reservists have
been called upon to serve as camel
drivers. They have no interests in the
1iete ho+ mo nc
for them is higher prices for their pro
duce and their labor, and a much larg-
Ell amount of money in circulation
among the poorer classes than was ever
| the case before. In these times of short
tonnage and high prices everywhere,
it is naturally the policy of the army
authorities in Egypt to utilize, as far
as possible, the produce of the country
and to import only what Egypt does not
supply or can only supply at excessive
prices.
There is military local resources
board at Cairo, which, with the aid of
civilian advisers familiar with the
country, systema tically collects, trans
ports and utilizes all Egyptian produce,
wherever obtainable. that can serve the
| turn of the army. Naturally, food
stuffs and especially grain are the first
need. All the wheat, maize and barley
required is bought in Egypt and at
prices which invariably show a sub
stantial increase on the pre-war prices
Purchases are made in a wholesale
/ fashion. The army, for instance, took
the whole of the last maize crop at an
abnormal price, and has seen to it that
! this year there is larger acreage
under cereals than ever before
Egypt does not supply the troops
1 with meat-it cannot rival the frozen
meat from Australia and New Zealand,
| but all the fresh vegetables for the
army are bought in Egypt and enor-
| nous quantities of fruit are bought by
| the soldiers on their own account.
| Oranges, of which this country is a
| large producer, fetched unprecedented
| prices last season. The cultivator is
| not slow to observe these things and is
growing much more garden stuff than
| ever before. In particular, the very
| high prices of potatoes last winter has
| encoura ged him to devote more land to
growing this indispensable vegetable.
There is. in fact, nothing that he can
! grown that does not pay him better than
| in ordinary times. The army is a
mighty purchaser of camels and needs
| vast quantities of fodder, which it
buys from the Egyptian farmer. The
army has resuscitated the morbund
| salt industry at Damietta 1t has cre-
ated a timber industry which never ex-
listed before in Egypt. The country is
not rich in timber, but large quantities
are needed, and the army buyers have