Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-04
BIC TRADE FUTURE
SEEN FOR AGAD|R
Port in French Morocco Re-
opened After Being Closed
Since 1765.

Closed since 1855 by the Sultan Sid
Mohammed Ben Abdullah for political
reasons, the Port of Agadir in the
French protectorate Of Morocco, which
was reopened this year. gives evidence
of returning to the important position
1t held as a trading center during the
Roman Era, according to a report made
to the Department of Commerce by the
American consul at Casablanca. Moroc-
co, and made public here by the depart
ment.
The same decree which closed the
Port of Agadir provided for the con-
struction of a port at Mogador. which
. has fourished for more than a century
and half
The Port of Agadir was reopened on
the first day of the present year and
within the few months that have
elapsed it has made rapid progress.
forcing merchants to the conclusion that
Mogador's Importance has come to an
end, according to the report, which
follows in full text:
The Port of Agadir, in the French
protectorate of Morocco, was reopened
on January l, 1880. Agadir is said to
have been an important trading center
during the Roman Era and was the
principal port for the shipment of cop
per mined on the southern slopes of the
Atlas. Prior to 1850, it had been for
several centuries an important and pros
porous trading center for the Souss VAL
ley and the surrounding regions. as we'll
as the terminus of caravan routes from
the Sahara and the Sudan. From the
interior of Africa it had an important
trade in ivory, gold dust and ostrich
feathers.
1865 Decree of Sultan.
In 1865 the Sultan Sid Mohammed
Ben Abdullah, for political reasons, de-
creed the closing of the Port of Agadir
and ordered the building of the Port of
Mogador The trade that had centered
at Agadir gradually found outlets in
other directions, through Algeria to the
north and to the southwest coast of
Africa. The people of the region be-
came increasingly poorer and thousands
Of them enigrated
The opening of the port of Agadir
which long has been regarded as the
most effective means of extending eco
nomlc relief to this region, has been
agiteted and discussed constantly since
the establishment of the protectorate,
but was not actually opened until
January /, 1880. though for the pur-
poses of extending relief measures to
the starving population Of the region.
it had been utilized since 1927, and
of course had been in use continually
for military purposes.
The port proper is situated at the foot
of the Hill of Agadir, which ends in a
rocky promontory that juts into the sea
in the form of reef for several hun
dred meters and serves to protect the
bay and harbor on the north and north
west from the severe storms that occur
in this region. The bay, which has
depth of 5 to meters at 300 meters
from the shore, is open only to the
southwest seas, which rarely are heavy.
Project for Port.
The first project for a port for small
vessels comprised the construction of a
jetty running from north to south at
right angles to the coast near the prom
ontory. This jesty was to extend for a
distance of 200 meters in a southerly di-
rection. then for $50 meters in an east
erly direction to form protecting basin.
After considerable delay, something over
200 meters have been completed and
wharf is being finished on which cranes
are being installed. A beach wharf 40
meters long by 20 meters wide Is also
under construction.
Agadir having been closed and the
region of the SousS having been al
most cut of from the rest Of Morocco
for about $50 years, much speculation
had arisen as to the resources of the
region and its future possibilities. Fa-
cilities we're not available for the regis