The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-10-26


there is West wind "a rare lux
ury in the Red Sea- it is doubtful
that the temperature will ever 90
above 95-in the shade.
Things are not so good if the
wind is following the ship. Then
it does no good and the mercury
shoots past the 100 mark.
THE real test comes with an
Il East wind, which gathers in
Baluchistan, boils across 1000
miles of Arabian desert to the
sea and sends the thermometer
soaring to ITO and Us Gin the
shade).
"Of course, its hotter on shore"
ships officers explain. They dis
tribute to passengers a booklet
on Djibouti, which starts off:
"Chmate-There are two we'll
defined seasons. the one from Oc-
tober to May, easily endurable ="
Massawa, headquarters base for
the Italian army in Eritrea. is
worse. 1t is completely locked in
to the Red Sea and there rarely
is relief from the boiling heat.
nJ1BOUT1 welcomes its visitors
- with a singing sand whipped
off its barren hills and blown into
the teeth of the ships at anchor
off the jetty.
Those who must wait in Djibouti
for the train to Adds Ababa-no
one ever stays in Djibouti if he
can help it-find hotel rooms and
face the prospect of two days in
inch-deep dust, sand and scorch-
ing sun and wind.
Ethiopia itself is a mountainous
country, indescribably wild and
magnificent in spots. From the
heat-baked Danakil region on the
east, it sweeps to the craggy pla-
teau, and the mountains roll to-
ward Adds Ababa.
THERE are few trails and the
II Italian army's slow progress
through the northern part of
Ethiopia is due chiefly to the ne
cessity for ad-building by the
Italian engineers.
Premier Mussolini has almost as
many laborerS in Ethiopia as he
has soldiers and the war, in actu-
atty, is an engineers war. They
are building bridges. roads, and
forcing their way through incred-
IDLY wild territory.
War correspondents with the
northern Italian army have sent
dispatches lauding the work of the
trail-blazers as the one big &C
complishment to date.
THE long-heralded big push"
- of the Italian army into
Ethiopia may come Monday. it is
reported in war dispatches. Mon
Gay is the anniversary of the
Fascist March on Rome" and
some correspondents believe Pre-
mier Mussolini has ordered a
four-army thrust at the African
kingdom for that day.
The accompanying maps show
just what Italy is facing in its
efforts to reach Adds Ababa.
They also show the adjoining ter
rltorles of Britain and italy.
Britain has announced that it
plans no isolated action against
II Duce and the Fascist dictator
has answered by an outright bid
for peace.
1t Is believed in some quarters
that the war may end when the
Italians have seized contro. of
both Tigre and Ogaden provinces.
the former in the north, the latter
IN the southeast. To this, observ-
erS add, MusSOlini may demand
railroad rights and other terrific
rial alignments.
But, in any event. it seems that
years may pass before Italy will
completely subiugate the wild peo-
pies of Ethiopia.
RUT' IN the meantime no stone
is being left unturned to
permit the British to hold control
OF that thin red line from GibraI-
tar to Alden, and at the same time
gain for Mussolini from Ethiopia
enough concessions to satisfy II
Duce and keep him in the role
or secondary naval power along
this vital route.
If this fails and it comes to war
between England and Italy, then
Great Britain Will utilize the
League of Nations to bestir world
sentiment to the British side.
Few diplomats believe that
either Rome or London is bluffing.
Italy herself is worried by the
London attitude and feels that
this sudden, new menace is more
threatening than anything that
may happen in Abyssinia.
And yet Mussolini is now in a
position where he is utterly I'M
able to turn back.
His case may be summarized
thusly:
He must have an outlet for his
excess population 40 million
people in country one-third the
size Of Ethiopia.
He must have raw materials