Evening star., 1925-10-08
SPAIN REVEALING
SIGNS Of PROGRESS
Is Making Real Effort to Get
Control of Own Business
From Foreigners.
BY OLIVER FOX.


Daily News.
MADRID. Spain, September l.
Spain, from the economic standpoint,
has often been compared to Russia
the Russia of Dre-Communist days. In
asmuch as Spain owes much Of her
economic development to foreign en-
terprise uhe French built her railways
and the Belgians her street railways,
the British developed her mines. Can
ada her water powerl, and still has
enormous undeveloped natural riches
the comparison still holds good, but
on other points has broken down.
Gradually Spain has been freeing
herself from foreign leadership. AS
the standards of the technical schools
have risen young Spaniards have
taken charge in mine offices as well
as in the pits, in the high railway ad-
ministration and in the workshops.
The manner in which the wireless in
dustry has been developed by Spanish
enterprise is proof of new spirit and
technical capabilities.
Buys Back Stocks.
Part OF the wealth Of the war other
nations fought brought Span has been
used to purchase back railway stock
held by foreigners, and now Spain
manufactures modern ships and mo-
tor cars. locomotives and dynamos. all
sorts OF structural steel and iron.
wireless apparatus and even ma
tiOnal typewriter. Her chemical IN
dustry lags behind.
Not all Spanish products. of course
are of the highest class. The motor
cars. except the renowned Eiispano-
SuiZa, are SecOndrate; the typewriter
noisy jangling thing. But the de-
termination with which laws fostering
home industries have been voted
shows that this nation OF 22.ooo. 200
inhabitants is determined upon eco
nomic independence.
If il had not been for the nationalist
trend Spain's economic policy has
taken the last five years probably
would have witnessed industrial de-
velopment on a large scale under for
eign auspices The bang-and bolt the
door policy. however. wrecked many
plans and drove one of the largest
London banks that had opened
agencies in all the big towns in Spain
to close down and clear out of the
country. Nevertheless there are signs
of development and many indications
that following on the present stage of
relative depression. Il period of activity
is not far of.
Developing Water Power.
To the great uneXplOited mineral
wealth of Spain is being added the no
less great wealth of water power from
the rapid flowing rivers. Electrical
science has brought Spain great new
wealth. permitting her to develop her
transportation system and making ir-
rigation doubly profitable. since water
used for agricultural development can
first be made to serve power genera
ton. This white coal is modern
Spain's most precious asset.
Two causes have delayed develop
ment during the present century: The
sterile strife for office in which polit
ical parties engaged instead of gov
erning the country and the drain on
the trea sury of the war in Morocco.
the most futile of all the wars ever
maintained by Spain.
Spain. as the principal neutral coun-
try during the great war. might have
made that calamity the occasion for
her resurrection as power. 1ndi-
vidual Spa niards made a lot of money.
but the state derived no benefit. It