Evening star., 1947-06-29
French, British
Agree in Africa
Old Rivals Cooperate
to Protect Their
Empires
By Paul GhoIi

W 1oi N'S'
PARIS.-France and Britain, once
rivals in Africa. are now the closest
of friends and if some parts of their
empires are tottering, Black Africa,
at least for a few generations to
come, is safe.
France is backing Britain's efforts
to make Africa the arsenal and
camping ground of its withdrawing
Egyptian and Middle Eastern forces.
Britain is reciprocating by ceasing
to stir up trouble for France in
North Africa and by appeasing the
Arab League in Cairo.
F'ranco-British cooperation Is
being given concrete form in North
Africa by an utterly new departure.
All the resources of British intelli-
gence are being used to help the
French against growing Arab ma
tionalism.
Problems Discussed
- A vast scheme for Building roads
in Central Africa, from one side
of the continent to the other, is
under consideration. French and
British colonial officials have held a
series of meetings in Dakar to
that end.
For both France and England
improvement of living standards in
Africa is major economic necessity
and both France and England are
pledged to achieve it. The British
cannot hope to make Central and
Southern Africa a stronghold and
arsenal unless its inhabitants are
healthy, prosperous and happy The
French can best prove that their
long years of colonial domination
have not been purely selfish by
social reforms.
A conference held here in Paris
last month was ostensibly for the
purpose of discussing Negro educa-
tional problems. 1t served to open
active collaboration between the
worlds two greatest empire builders
Some 800 technical problems were
discussed and a program of social
and health reforms. tending to the
eventual development of African
resources, drawn up.
However, for France the problem
is not only to develop the colonies
but also to keep them. French
African possessions have all shown a
desire to part either completely from
metropolitan France or at least tc
get larger share of autonomy.
As matter of fact, the preserva-
ton of their African empire is
almost a question of life and death
for both the English and the
French.
All the products needed by
France and Europe are plentiful ir
Africa and are only in the infant
stage of their development there.
North Africa, with a population
of is millions, produces wine. wheat
sugar, oil, tea. There are lead
mines in Tunisia and phosphates
in Morocco.
Next to Moslem Africa in trade
/ Importance is French West Africa
1t comprises the territories of Da-
! honey, Ivory Coast, Guinea and
Senegal. 1t sends peanuts, cocoa
coffee and ivory to France. Dakar
town of $4,000 inhabitants, is its
capital and the closest African
/ harbor to the American continent
Three Strategic Points
| Descending south, comes French
equatorial Africa which exports tc
France cotton, nuts and oil. Ura-
MUM was recently discovered in
| the region bordering the Belgian
| Congo.
On the other side of the con-
! tinent lies Djibuti, key town to the
immense Ethiopian empire ano
starting point of the Diiputi-Addis
| Ababa railroad. Its strategic, value
/ is considerable in case of penetra-
ton efforts coming from the Red
/ Sea toward East Africa or the Brit
ish possession of Kenya,
/ Thus. France possesses central
| Africa's three m ain strategic
points: Dakar, Djibuti and NADIA
| gascar Any British plan for the
! development and protection oi
Africa needs full French co-opera
tion.
And, in turn, the French need
the help of the British to keep
their populations under control.
(Copyright, 1e47, Chicago Daily (ews.l