Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-12-05
THINK TURKEY CAN BE
MADE WEALTHY THROUGH
PROPER ENTERPRISE

Constantinople, Dec. 5.-Turkey
is rarely pictured as a country of
business possibilities but rather as
the traditional home of graft, po-
litics, massacres, and veiled women.
Yet, according to Americans of
some vision who have long been here
or others who have come since the
close of the war, something may be
done with the Turk and u lot with
his country in the way of agricul-
tural development, in exploiting
marble deposits on the Sea of Mar
mora. coal on the shores of the
Black Sea and in the Heraklee basin,
and copper at Arghana, MAIDEN and
in the interior mountains between
Diabekhr and Kharput.
There has been a vast quantity of
misinformation circulated about the
value of Turkish concessions and
members of the American mission
headed by General Harbord came to
the conclusion that Turkeys great
est wealth lies in her unirrigated,
treeless soil, that it would be pos
sible to make her wealthy If she
had honest government, irrigation,
and her mountains and plains COW
cred with quick-growing cotton
wood. General Harbord. an expert
agricultural observer. believes that
the American cottonwood would
change the gaunt face of Turkeys
mountains and valleys.
Her Position Good.
Turkeys greatest value, however,
it is believed that anyone operating
on large scale from Smyrna and
Constantinople, in particular, will
have three avenues for trade ex-
tension. one to the Balkans. one
along the Bagdad railway, which the
British now control and are invest
ing in heavily, pushing it's line be-
yond Bagdad to the oil fields of
Mesopotamia, and on to the Indian
Ocean; and a third avenue into the
Black Sea countries including south
Russia and the rich Caucasus.
G. Bic Ravndal. American Com
missioner and Consul General in
Constantinople, who has served in
turkey for some twenty years. is
impressed with American oppor-
tunities in the Near East. He saws
that no matter how the Turkish
question be solved by the Peace
Conference, the result is certain to
aitord sufficient freedom and sta
blllty for the economic DEVELOPMENT
winch has been so long arrested and
whleh now is on the eve of obeying
ltS momentum. He urges American
business men to "be up and doinp''
so that the new American merchant
marine may prove not to have been
built in vain. Mr.. Ravndal also
urges American shipping interests
TO consult American consuls and the
American Chamber of Commerce. for
the Levant in picking agents for
their steamship lines.
L. ). Trade Increases
Mr.. Ravndal said to The Associ-
ated Press:
American trade figures in Con-
stantinople are climbing up. In the
tnree months ending September 40,
iSlS' exports from this city IN
America amounted to s2,e5o, 900 as
against S1.S00,000 for the Inns
quarter. These are considerabIv in
excess of pre-war figures hut h,, 90
the greater increase is in imports 70
Constantinople from America, Tbo
balance of trade is now oyerwbei-,
lngly in favor of America Viii
petore the war it was adverse.
Under prevailing economic 90,
dltions 1t were better for both COW
tries IL the trade balance couId -
reversed and exchange eo,,aTi,s
For that purpose America nust
send men out here to explore nat
ural resources which still remain -,
a primitive state of expIoitatio,
rake raw silk for an exan,nIa