Evening star., 1944-01-23
The | ruveIer's Notebook
Greatest Highway Program in History Under Way;
Shipping Companies Problems Increasing Daily;
Quail Championships Returnino to Pinehurst


On every continent on the globe
the greatest highway building pro-
gram Of history is under way today
as the power dredges Of war open
fascinating routes heretofore rarely
seen.
Dreams are being matched with
realities for postwar tourists as the
demands of war rush blueprints off
drawing boards into immediate ac-
Qualities, the American Express
points out.
Across Iran, where the newly COM
pleted Trans-Iranian Railway re-
quired over 1857 tunnels and 224
bridges between the Caspian Sea
and the Persian Gulf, two military
roads across the Tigris and Eu-
pirates are blowing through SEEM
ingly impossible terrain as supply
routes to Russia.
From Beirut to Damascus, across
Syria to the Arabian Nights" city
OF Baghdad, new highway is ready
for vital transports, and one day
will offer tourists journey scenes
through the lands of the Old and
New Testaments.
From Jerusalem to Suez, Port
Said to Cairo, a new, expanding
highway now links the valley of the
Nile as far as Wadi Halfa on the
Egyptian Sudan frontier. In Africa,
from Duala, two new routes extend
to the upper Nile at Assuan, con-
f1uence of the White and Blue Nile,
and with Port Said on the Red Sea.
Cecil Rhodes dream of a 6,O00-mile
railway from the cape to Cairo is
now being Joined by new motor
routes throughout all the Dark
Continent
= Australia is rushing a 7OO-mile
Burma road" across the desert to
Port Darwin, completing the new
military road of 1941. From North
Africa on the Sahara a new route
across the old caravan trail" links
French Morocco. A trans-African
road through the Beau Geste coun-
try to the outpost military fort of
Lamy links Bamaka, crossing the
Niger to Finder.
And. of course, on the American
continents is the Alaskan highway,
being rapidly linked with the Pam
American highway of 1880 miles,
and 1000 miles of newly constructed
tnter-American highways in Latin
America.
Nothing could be further from the
truth than the general impression
that the Government has taken over
for war use all privately owned ships
putting the steamship companies
out of business
1t is true that all ocean-going
ships of over 1000 tons have been
requisitioned for use by the War
Shipping Administration. But the
shipping companies are managing,
AS agents for the VISA. all their
own ships except those turned over
to the Army and Navy, plus the
large number of new vessels built
as a war measure for the Govern
AiClIl . O"l account.
Grace Line officials point out that
the familiar, rakish, green. white
and black stacks of the Santa"
liners, indeed, have disappeared from
their accustomed routes on the
South American west coast. to Cura-
Gao. Venezuela and Colombia on the
Caribbean, to Central America and
Mexico. Dressed in battleship gray.
the vessels now ply the Seven Seas
IN the grim business of war.
With the newly built "C"-type
fast freighters and the slower Lib
erty ships. Grace Line is agent for
about eight times the number Of
vessels it operated in peacetimes.
The same is true in varying degree
with other American shipping COM
panles long engaged in building UP
the American merchant marine.
The task which steamship COM
panies are called on to perform
grows steadily greater. Tonnage al
located to them is increasing daily
as the toll taken by Axis submarines
is cut down and as more than five
SnlpS day come sliding off the
ways in United States shipyards to
join in the all-out war effort.
Yes, the American steamship COM
panles have gone to war" And
when victory comes these companies
again will fling their trade and pas
senger routes around the globe.
X
The National Amateur Quail
Championships will return to Pine
hurst, N, c., on January 81 to con-
tinue for the duration OF the
running.
This is probably the first time
these field dog championships ever
have been run on the same grounds
In successive years. but due to con-
veniences during present conditions
and the exceptionally fine multiple
courses at Pinehurst, it was de-
cided to hold the runnings at that
resort again. 1t takes years to build
such good courses and it must be