Evening star., 1930-06-08
Project Abandoned
For Channel Tunnel
BY A. G. GARDINER, -
England's Greatest Liberal Editor.

LONDON, June THE Channel tun-
mel is now dead and damned finally
Premier Macdonald's announcement tc
the House of Commons this week on the
governments adverse decision on the
scheme was generally accepted as the
last word on the project which Napoleon
and Baron Holland discussed and which
has been periodically revived ior CEN
tury.
Formerly the insuperable obstacle to
the scheme in England had been the
military objection to linking the country
with the continent, and of depriving 1t
Of the security enjoyed by our right
little, tight little island"
This objection is no longer the DOM
inant consideration. It is true that the
imperial defense committee in its report
on traditional military grounds, but this
opposition alone would have peen disre-
garded. Apart from the fact that an
attempt to invade England by tunnel
would be an adventure so mad as to be
unthinkable, the experience of the late
war has changed the whole public out
look on the subject. The complete con-
quest OF the air has, In military sense,
obliterated the Channel.
England during the four years of the
war was habituated to invasion by air.
ship and airplane. None questions that
in the event Of another war the Eng
critical theater of action, and to OBJ
ject to the tunnel on the ground Of
fears OF an invasion by land Is mere
antiQuated nonsense. 1t was untenable
even when the sea offered at least q
nghting chance OF landing an army,
but it is 'moonShine" now that Eng
land can be effectively invaded without
landing an army.
The project has failed on the more
practical and conclusive grounds of
finance and expediency. The proposal
was revived as offering one method Of
absorbing the unemployed and this
consideration gave the scheme much
popular support. But the discovery
that the British section of the work
would give employment directly and
indirectly to only 5000 men has re-
duced this aspect of the matter to
negligible proportions AS to the cost
and practicability Of the scheme, the
report of the committee appointed to
consider this phase of the subject is
not reasSuring. The cost Is estimated
at $150,000,000, but the committee
agreed that there Is q risk Of assures
or even Of untitled valleys that might
be encountered on the bed of the seas
which would make the estimate irrele-
want.
This warning alone was enough to
make the government walk warily,
but the real rock on which the scheme
was wrecked was the economic un-
soundnesS of the whole idea. It was
agreed that for purposes of heavy
goods the traftlc tunnel would offer no
alternative to the sea, as the heavy
capital outlay would make the cost of
transit unbearably high without an
equivalent gain In time. Moreover, on
this point the proposal would encounter
opposition from formidable shipping
and port interests.
The project therefore, was reduced
to the question Of providing passengers
to the continent with an alternative
route, without a change and avoiding
the occasional diScomforts of crossing
by Dover and Calais. It was argued
that this would increase intercourse
the continent and England and
bring many Americans through Eng
land who now avoid the country on ac-
count of the Channel passage. The
saving Of time would also bring Paris
and London within the compass of q
days journey to and fro.
This consideration has also lost its
force, owing to the development OF avi-
alton. Flying services between London
and the continent enable the double
tourney to be done in. one day and