The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1935-11-16
PARIS GROWS
ANXIOUSOVER
AFRICAN ROAD
French Investors Clamor
for Safety; Selassie Re-
fuses Naturalization"
By HAROLD ETTLlNGER
United Press Staff Correspondent

PARIS. Nov. 16.-(UP).-As |
Mussolini's armies advance deeper
into Ethiopian territory the
French are becoming increasingly
anxious over the safety of the
costly and prosperous Djibouti-
Adds Ababa railroad into which
French investors have put millions
of francs.
They have taken every precau-
ton for making rapid repairs in
case the Italians bomb the line,
but hope that before there is i'm
minent danger an agreement will
be reached for the "neutraliza-
ton" of the railway zone.
1t seems clear that if this rail-
road line, which connects Adds
Ababa with the sea, is used for
the transport of Ethiopian troops
and munitions, the Italians can
claim the right to bomb it, in the
same way that they would bomb
munitions depots or air fields.
EMPEROR WITHHOLDS
APPROVAL
Discussions for creating neu-
trail zone along the line, and espe-
cially at Diredawa, where the rail,
road company has concentrated
its most important shops and sup
ply stores, are proceeding rapidly
bnt Emperor Halle Selassie has
not vet agreed. He is known to be
reluctant to commit himself but 1T
is felt that he might be more
willing now than he would have
been a month ago.
The Ethiopian army already has
set up most of it's troop concen-
trations accessible by the railroad,
and most of it's munitions ship
ments from abroad now come into
the country by truck through Brit
ish Somaliland. Therefore, the
railway is not as important to
Ethiopia as it was at the outset
of the war.
TROOPS ON RAIL PROPERTY
Part of the French plan for pro-
tecting the railroad was to send a
detachment of Senegalese troops
and 1870 white infantrymen to d.
redawa, which is well inside Eth
opia proper. The emperor was not
pleased with the request to send
troops and agreed only after the
French had promised that the de-
tachment was his own forces at
Diredawa. The Sengalese and
white troops are now stationed on
railway property.
For protecting the railway line
the Negus already has stationed
detachments of machine gunners
and infantrymen beside the
bridges and principal stations,
while the company has moved large
replacement stocks to points along
the line likely to be attacked, so
that repairs can be made at once
in event of bombing. Plans for re
pairing all bridges are completed,
and stones are being quarried be-
forehand so that there will be no
delay in replacing any shattered
viaducts.
FRENCH WORKERS SENT
Steel girders and timber have
been brought to Awash, where
bombing is most feared, and prep
arations have been made for the
erection of a temporary bridge to
replace an important span of a
gorge at that point if it should be
damaged. In addition, French To-
connective engineers and other en-
ployees have been brought from
France to replace native and for
eign employees who object to
working under the possibility of
fire.
First conceived in 1894 when
the Negus, Menelik II, granted a
concession for construction of the
line from Djibouti to Harar and
thence to Entotto, then the CAPT.
tai of Ethiopia, the present line
was not completed and officially
inaugurated until June 7, 1917. 1t
measures exactly 784 kilometers
(486 miles)) from Djibouti to Adj
dis Ababa.
According to the last report is