Evening star., 1931-12-04
French GUIANA
| To Be DEVELOPED
COunty in South America
Now Called Inini Prom
iSes Big Future.

France has announced plans for the
development Of French Guiana, midget
OF the three European GuianaS, on
The north coast Of South America.
Preceding this development a coastal
belt retains the name Of Guiana, while
the interior is being organized as a
eolony-a colony which has been desig-
Eated mini.
Most of the $4,000 square miles Of
Snland French Guiana, now called
1nini, Is unknown to the white man"
says bulletin Of the National Geo.
graphic Society. Protected by French
soldiers, imported laborers from AMMAN
will penetrate the tropical forests, now
the baliwick of Indians and Bushmen
The French have governed this
colony since early in the seventeenth
century. First French arrivals en-
countered Indians. Later they met hos
tile Bush Negroes, descendants Of Afri-
cans brought TO the colony in slave
trading times, who had escaped to the
bush.
French Guiana is about as large as
South Carolina. The French utilize
only a narrow strip along the coast
where about one-haf Of the colony's
30 900 inhabitants live. Stories of
riches brought many European treasure
seekers to the South American colony
during the early French occupation.
Sir Walter Raleigh Joined one Of the
expeditions.
Gigantic Penitentiary.
Frequent attempts of the French to
colonize Guiana failed. In 1853 a
French colonizing company sent some
IL 900 eager emigrants to the Guiana
shores The party included jewellers,
few experienced farmers Most Of them
perished from tropical diseases and
hard work
Later the French government made
the colony and its off-Shore islands O
gigantic national penitentiary. Today
nearly every town along the coast Is
dominated by the somber walls Of a
prison. Outside the walls pass men
who have served parts of their SEN
tences, but have been liberated for the
remainder Of their terms to earn q
living in the colony.
Many of the $4,000 inhabitants Of
Cayenne, the capital and largest town,
are prisoners who are serving the lat
ter portion of their sentences Among
them are lawyers, doctors, artists, en-
gineers and skilled artisans. Few leave
the coast to help open the interior.
Disease and Labor Problems,
while disease has been a drawback
TO the progress of French Guiana,
labor has presented the major problem
Convict labor has been tried without
great success. Bush Negroes refuse to
work, immigrants become traders In the
towns and the Indians, who have been
driven far back into the forests, are not
available. AS result there Is neither
q railroad nor good road into the
interior. The only commercial high
ways are the rivers, and none Of them
can be navigated by steam much farther
inland than SO miles.
Foreigners imported to penetrate the
wilderness have failed to remain be-
yond the borders of civilization. A
glance at coastal town reveals such
Immigrants mingling daily with French
government employees. There are
Chinese, settlers from Martinique, ma
tives from Indo-China, Arabs from
Northern Africa and Negroes from
Senegal
If all the inhabitants were evenly
distributed over the country there
would not be two inhabitants for each
square mile. The warehouses of Cay
enne, the only port of consequence,
give an inklfng of the vast resources
of the colony-timber, cacao, balata and
other products of the forest.
Gold has long been one Of French
Guiana's leading exports. Known de-
posts Of silver, copper, iron, lead, mer-
curry and phosphate also await devel-
opment, while the rosewood industry Is
In its infancy"