Evening star., 1942-09-06
The Bottle
For the Suez ConoI
BY Frederic J. Hnskir.

HoHiiHei iAtest ofive INTO Eeypt again
increases the tension over the possibility
Of the suez Canal falling into the hands
of the Axis powers. The Allies. especially
Great Britain. are taking no chances
and are still fortifying this jugular vein
of the British Empire. Unlike the
Panama Canal, the Suez was until very
recently without fortincations. In peace
times Great Britain maintains sarrisons
at Cairo, Alexandria, Ismailia and Port
Said, but not on the canal. This Is be-
cause of the confidence placed in the
guarantee of the Suez Canal Convention
OF October, 1888, when 1t was agreed that
the canal shall always be open, IN time
of war as in time of peace, to every vessel
of commerce or OF war, without distinc-
ton of nag" But since the rise OF the
international bandits the situation Is
different.
How the pledge made At Constantinople
has been kept, even in trying hour, Is
illustrated by the case Of Great Britain
as an ally of Japan in the Far Eastern
war of 1904-o5. In that period Russia
took advantage of the guarantee to send
her Baltic fleet through the canal, Al
though 1t was the belief that Great
Britain wished to prevent this movement.
Under the pledge. however, she was un-
able TO do So knowing that at some
future time any objection to RuSsias
step might react unfavorably to British
interests.
But the pledge to keep the suez Canal
open in peace and in war to the ships
Of all flags Is regarded by the Axis
powers as a mere scrap OF paper and the
nations which would like to keep the
agreement are forced to violate it. The
position taken by the British Is that since
the canal shortens the route from Eng
land to Bombay and Calcutta by $500
and $3.50 miles, respectively. and seizure
Of 1t by the Axis powers would give them
great advantage, it must be defended at
all cost. OF the $4,000 900 tons Of ship
ping which. in = normal year. pass
through the canal, more than halt Is
carried on vessels that fly the British
nag.
Only twice has trafnc through the
canal been interrupted by the threat Of
hostiiities. In 1882 the Arab rebellion
brought force to Ismailia. and all ships
were stopped for two days. Again, in
February, 1915, a forlorn hope was under
taken by Turkish detachment stifYened
by German officers and artillerymen, the
object teing to cut what had become one
of the British Empires main lines Of
communication. This force reached the
Asiatic bank of the canal, and isolated
detachments even managed to get across
in fiat-bottomed pontoons. but the attack
was repulsed and all who crossed were
killed or captured.
Since completion the Suez Canal has
been universally recognized Is An inter-
national asset, and In that respect its
character has been jealousy preserved.
Its stretch Of water reaches for 106 miles
through desert land and mArshy lakes
from Port Said on the Mediterranean
to Suez, and joins Port Tewik on the
Gulf Of Suez.
In 1889 Ferdinand de Lesseps, French
engineer, took a shovel and near Port
Said scooped out the first load of sand
from the channel which was to lead from
the Mediterranean to the Red Sea- The
physical difficulties OF building the suez
Canal though formidable enough, were
small in comparison with the political
and financial obstacles that had to b
overcome.
Thousands of years before the birth Of
De Lesseps, men had realized the need
OF this great waterway as q link be-
tween two continents, and almost from
the dawn of history various plans were
presented to sail ships through the
desert" First Pharaoh and later q
Caesar began to excavate in more or less
the same spot as did De Lesseps, but
for reasons never fully explained the en-
terprise was abandoned shortly after Its
inception.
When the great Frenchman, who was
then so, set about this gigantic task he
found no encouragement outside his own
country. England was openly hostile.
Bluff old Palmerston sneered at the prof.
ect as bubble" and then roundly con-
demned it as device for French inter-
ventlon in foreign affairs The indom-
liable Frenchman was thwarted for Q
year or so, but refused to be stopped.
When finally, De Lesseps organized his
company and its shares were offered in
the international market, British in
vestors stood aloof more than half the
capital being subscribed in France. Then,
no one foresaw that later Great Britain
would become the largest individual
shareholder in the canal company. The
British governments shares originally
were held by the Khedive of Egypt, but
were sold by him to England in 1878 for
$4,000, ,000 The shares which Great
Britain owns are now valued at as
times their cost and the British treasury
has been enriched, in the form of divi-
dends to the extent OF some Is times the
original investment.
Outside of England and France the
impression is widespread that the Suez
Canal is either entirely or mainly con-
trolled by Great Britain. That is not
correct. The stock in the canal company
which Great Britain owns amounts to
A per cent Of the issues, and the re-
mainder is held by French investors. On
the Board Of Directors are 81 French.
men, 10 Englishmen and Netherlander.
When the suez Canal was opened to
traf1lc on November II, 1869, SO vessels
OF various nationalities started from
Port Said to make passage through the