MOROCCO Tfl-BAY

Evening Star, Issue 20032, 24 November 1928, Page 17

MOROCCO Tfl-BAY

BIG DEVELOPMENTS IN PROGRESS Lord Edward Glefchen, president of iiie British Merchants Morocco Association, who has returned from making a study of the economic prospects of Morocco, records further very rapid progress in its development. He advises merchants and manufacturers, however, to direct attention to the 10 per cent, of the land under the Spanish flag, as veil as to the main part that is ruled by Franco, Lord Edward says: “There is, of course, no doubt whatever that Iho French arc developing the country at a rapid rate—-in fact at a terrific rate, one may say. One lias merely to travel in their zone to see that roads, ports (Casablanca port is about to bo doubled in accommodation), buildings, bridges, irrigation, phosphate works, etc., are all being built at a rate which makes Northern Morocco almost unrecognisable; while numerous farmsteads, run largely by colonists from Algeria, and equipped to a great extent with modern agricultural machinery, ai'o springing up in every direction ” FRENCH. CARS IN MAJORITY. Supplementing these remarks, Mr Robinson, manager of the Moroccan department of the Bank of British West Africa, on his return from an extended tour in Morocco, said that the building going on is extraordinary, but what had impressed him more -than that was, first, the comfortable new railways, which aro those of Europe, and, secondly, the enormous motor traffic. At Casablanca, the chief port and commercial capital, the. garages, though abundant, aro quite inadequate to cope with the requirements, and one finds cars and lorries parked in all the streets. Ho was astonished to find that the French, though prevented. by treaty from imposing any duty different from that which is paid by English cars, have been allowed, with some help from the Italians, to monopolise the field. Long-distance circuits were recently run over Moroccan highways, and an Italian car beat all world records —a remarkable demonstration of recent developments seeing that loss than twenty years ago Morocco did not contain a. road outside Tangier town. As a matter of fact, Morocco’s motoring highways now stretch for more than 5,000 miles, and they aro continually being increased. MANY HOTELS. Morocco is now plentifully supplied with hotels, though there is an opening for more first-class ones both at Casablanca and Tangier. The new hotels of the Cio Generate Transatlantiqno arc open only in the season, and Mr Robinson found several hotels, open all the year, which wero formerly quiet stopping places, but aro now noisy centres owing to the extensions of the cities and to the busy main motoring roads. Morocco has had a bumper harvest (his year, particularly in wheat. The phosphates industry 'is growing to astonishing importance and size, and its product is superior to any others. Hitherto the Moors have not used phosphates on their oito fields, but a successful beginning has now been made. Important mining enterprises have recently been started, particularly in manganese, iron, and load- Tin, which has been found in small quantities, is being actively prospected for in the regions of the Middle Atlas. Altogether, those 206,000 square miles out of the total 216,000 of Morocco that are under France provide an object lesson in rapid development.