New Britain herald., 1925-02-18
MADAGASCAR IS
 LITTLE CONTINENT
Is Latest Source of Petroleum
 Supply Possible

source of petroleum Is Madagascar where geological experts have re- gently found promising indications. That this island, not so often heard of as Morocco or Algeira or Indo- China, deserves to be considered with them as an important French domain is indicated by bulletin from the Washington, D. O., head quarters of the National Geographic society.
 Madagascar. lying in the Indian ocean. Is sufficiently far away from Europe and America to be dis missed as q somewhat sizable but isolated island" says the bulletin. But on the score of size 1t is a case of the tail wagging the dog. This third largest of the worlds islands Qeaving polar land masses out of consideration is larger than France by some 15,000 square miles.
 Would Block all U. S. Seaboard
 If, instead of being situated off the southeast coast of Africa, Mada- gascar lay off the southeast coast of the United States 1t would be easily understood why the island has been referred to as virtually & little continent If one end of the island lay in the Atlantic opposite the northern point of Florida, the other end would touch Nova Scotia, block ing practically the entire Atlantic coast of the United States. And if the outer side of the island touched Bermuda the land would extend westward more than half way to Cape Hatteras.
 This imaginary position in the Atlantic would not place Mada- gascar in proper relation to the Equator. It Is a tropical island. Ii placed in a position in the North Atlantic truly comparable to it's real position in the southern hemi- sphere, 1t would extend from the latitude of southern Florida across the West Indies and the Caribbean sea to the northern coast of South America. Because Madagascar is ir the tropics its low coast lands are hot and malarial. The greater part of its area, however, is plateau which rises several thousand feet above sea level and furnishes @ temperate climate well suited to the needs of Europeans.
 Malay Blood in Natives
 "The Malagasies, as the natives of Madagascar are called, are of mixed blood, and Africa has not contributed to the extent that might be inferred from the islands near. ness to that continent. The domi- nant strain seems to have come from the east. Some members of the leading tribes of the centra plateau might almost be mistaker for Malays. In other tribes there is mixture Of negro, Arab and ever East Indian blood. Many of thu Malagasies have reached 8 consid erable degree of civilization largel, due to external influences. First i'm pulses were contributed at very early date by Arabs; and ever since 1900, when the island was first sighted by Europeans there have been contacts with Portuguese Dutch, French and British. Of the three and a half million inhabi, tants of Madagascar. half million are rated as Christians.
 Since the French declared g protectorate over Madagascar ir 1896 and later made 1t a colony they have built railway frem Tamatave, chef port, on the east. ern coast, to Antananarivo, the capital, near the center of the is, land. More than 1.6O0 miles ot highways have been constructed Huge areas of the islands are with. out roads, however, and consider. able regions are virtually unex, plored. Many of the people of the back country are pagans and many primitive customs exist among them
 Turn Pests into Food
 Madagascar is surpassed by flew lands as a cattle country. There arc nearly eight million head of cattle more than two for every human in. habitant. Thousands of wild cattle roam the plains and forests, and hunting them Is the great Madagas. can sport. The chief vegetable staple is rice.
 Production already exceeds con, sumption, and the island could be, come one of the great rice exporting regions of the world. But this 1, only beginning. Almost ever, tropical product, elsewhere valuable fiourlshes, together with many tenn perato zone products. There art rubber. coffee, tea, vanilla, cacoa sugar. silk worms, silk spiders, to- bacco, raffia, cabinet woods, banana. and long list of tropical fruits anC vegetables. Hides and preserved meats are important exports.
 Eat Spiders and silk Worms
 "One fly in the Madagascar olnt ment is the existence of hordes O locusts. Myriads of them settle ir certain regions and destroy all crop and foliage. But such a visitation never means a famine in Mada gas car With an ability to make th, best of a bad bargain that almos amounts to genius, the Malagas, 'harvests' the crop of locusts, eat what he needs, and dries the res for use as future food. Dried To- custs are a food staple, like tn, northerner's dried fish, sold in ever, market and put up by every care full housewife.
 There is a fat spider of whicl the Malagasy is also very fond, an, he even eats silk worms with relish One white traveller who journcyet into the Madagascar back countr, in chair borne by carriers, as serts that one of the most deliciou of the native dishes is a stew con sisting of locusts, spiders, worms rice, fish and suet."