Evening star., 1928-03-25
TANG|ER IS PRIZE
SOUGHT BY POWERS
Tiny Arab Town Considered
Vital to Control of
Mediterranean.
BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.

BY PAUL SCOTT MowRER.
Ey Cable to The star and ChtcaSo DAILY
News Copyright. ia%S.
PARIS. March 24-The question ol
the international administration of Tan
ger once more is emerging before the
footliehtS of the international drama
The is ue far SurpaSses petty SQuah-
bic as OF which nation shall control
this or that public service in the pic
tllTeSoue little Arab town spread on
q hillside Of the African shore of the
Straits of Gibraltar These Squsbhles
are merely symbols Of q vastly greater
in the Mediterranean.
Italy a few months ago asserted her
sentiments by sending naval squad
ron 70 visit Tangier. France and Spain
after long negotiations have reached an
agreement which they are now submit
ting for approval 70 Great Britain and
Italy in q formal conference here in
Paris.
Soviet Entry Refused.
II Is perhaps not coincidence that
this particular moment should be
/ chosen BY Great Britain TO hold vast
naval nlaneuvers in the western Med
iiterranean, pitting the Atlantic and
Mediterranean fleets against each other
IN mimic warfare.
The Paris conference concerns other
powers than those Immediately en-
gsSe6 in the conversation, The Soviet
! government, which preten6s to inherit
the rights without assuming the ohliga-
lions Of csarist Russia, tried to enter the
conference on the grounds that 1t was
Z q Signstory 10 the Algeciras convention
I Of 1905 and that as a Black Sea power
/ i Is necessarily interested in the Ned
sisrranean. but it was refused.
: The United States, which also signed
the Algeciras pact, has served formal
! notice that il considers maintenance
Of the open door in Morocco essential
/ 10 American interests and that whatever
r agreement the other powers reach, We
fully reserve capitulatory. financial
| coaling and other rights devolving TO us
under the act.
However. il is undoubtedly France
Spain. italy and Great Britain which
1 are chiefly concerned II they achieve
: harmony Of views now. not only will
general improvement of Franco-Italian
relations become possible. but the way
! viii be prepared for & sort Of Mediter-
{ ranean entente or Jocarno. which Is
, regarded as one OF the essential guaran-
tees for European peace.
Chamberlain Plan Abandoned.
The plan attributed to Foreign Min
lister Chamberlain OF England last Au-
turnn for a general realignment in the
Mediterranean has been completely
abandoned Spain no longer is dds
posed 10 evaclate her zone in Morocco.
France. since the development of the
Mossoul OIL fields with projected pipe
line across Syria, is less than ever dis
posed 10 abandon the Syrian mandate.
France and Spain. as noted before.
already have agreed. Spain. In the
face Of British opposition has aban-
doned last years claim TO annex Tan
giers 70 the Spanish zone IN Morocco,
and is satisfied 70 receive command OF
the Tsngisr's gendarmerie.
France remains the predominant
power In Tangier She controls the
port. the Tangier -Fez Railway. the
tobacco monopoly. the local adminiStra-
ton ana public finances: also. as rep
resenfing the Sultan OF Morocco, she
controls native affairs.
France desires the smallest possible
change IN the status OF Tangier. espe-
cially Il such change threatens in any
vsy 20 reopen the entire Moroccan
question. which France considers def
nitely settled However, for the sake
Of good feeling, France Is willing 70
conce6e 20 italy some unimportant
share in the administration OF Tan
gier: for example. the management Of
the public health service
Great Britain. which guards the gate
vsys al Gibraltar and the Suez Canal
and keeps powerful feet al Malta.
considers tfs Mediterranean the shortest
TouEs from London 70 Bombay and
hence vital Ink IN the empire. As
far as capital ships 90. Great Britain
dominates the Mediterranean. But
times change. and today IL is feared
thst French and Italian submarines and
asrplareE may be mightier in these mar
Tow waters than capital ships. Malta
and Gibraltar perhaps are no longer
great lortresses. but merely easy targets.
Moreover. the central naval rivalry
tends more and more 70 shift TO the
Atlantic ard the Pacific. Hence the
British are more than ever desirous 10
keep the Tang3erS area neutral and in
ternationsl. Britain probably will ex-
pect Italys help TO eliminate paragraph
70. 3 of the present agreement, which
permits France and Spain In case of
trouble 70 transport troops and supplies
through Tangier
sseo France free hand in Morocco in
return for q free hand for Italy In
Tr3DoA. nov contenGs that this agree
naeDt does not apply 10 Tsngler.
Sne insists that as a wholly Mediter-
TznesD power dependent on supplies by
ses through the straits and as a grow
3f5g nation newly conscious Of its right
fVl plsoe III the world, she snail be sc-
cogoee 81 equal share with France and
Spain in the administration Of Tangler
CoEnpilca tons in the Paris conference
hence are more than likely. II is prob
abe. nevertheless, tfazt in the long run
solution alli be found which VIII then
be submitted 70 the United States and
the other Algecirss Slznatofles A
FtsDco-Fta Ian agreement on this Tan
fier question should 20 far 70 lessen
inc recent tension between these two
Latin sisters -
a0yIA1. PACKING 4 STORAGE.