RAILWAY ROMANCE

Evening Star, Issue 20255, 16 August 1929, Page 3

RAILWAY ROMANCE

WEST AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT LINE THROUGH AXGLOA. The construction of the Benguela Railway is an achievement worthy of the magnificent spirit of enterprise which British pioneers and builders have shown all over Africa. The line was formally opened at Luao last month by the Portuguese Minister for the Colonies, in the presence of Prince Arthur of Connaught. . Luao, the last point on the line, is just within the Portuguese border on the frontier of Angola and the Belgian Congo Colony. Benguela and L'o bito Bay on the coast, where the railway starts, are over 800 miles away. When the Belgians have completed the line they are building across their territory from Luao to the existing railway from the Cape, there will be direct communication between the Katanga area, with its immeasurable mineral treasures, and the sea. By rail Lobito Bay is 000 miles nearer to Katanga than Beira, the port through which Katanga copper is now exported, and the port on the west is 2,600 miles nearer Southampton than tlie port on the east. Very soon the Belgian line will, be ready. In the meantime the British-built raihvav across Angola is open. It has cost £12,000,000 to build, •and the work of laying the line, along the route that climbs up 6,000 ft, has taken nearly thirty years. These figures give some indication of the energy and persistence required by its authors. Sir Robert Williams and his associates may well be proud of what they have done. The story of the project is a stimulating one. After he had investigated the mineral prospects of Southern and then of Northern Rhodesia at the request of Rhodes, Mr Williams went on into the Belgian Congo, and in 1900* lie obtained from King Leopold prospecting rights in Katanga. He saw at once the importance of direct access to the sea through Angola, and by 1902 ho had a concession from the Portuguese Government to build a railway across the province. His indomitable optimism had also inspired sufficient confidence to enable him to get the necessary British financial support, and in 1903 the work was begun. Every difficulty was in turn overcome. More and more millions were obtained—not always easily—and the war imposed nothing worse than delay. Finally the line was finished last November. The formal ceremony last month at the little outpost far in the wilds of Africa rounds off this exploit of pioneering. Of the value of the new line there can be no question. It is not only the copper of Katanga that is brought verymuch nearer to its buyers; the copper belt of Northern Rhodesia will also be served. loreover the builders are counting on the' pastoral and agricultural development of the Angola plateau, where a network of motor roads already exists to feed the railway Even now, before the transport ■ of copper has begun, there is an . annual traffic worth £200,000. To I Angola itself the railway is obviously of the greatest , importance. , The Portuguese Government intends' to deI vote large loan to various improve-

meats in the province,, and it also hopes to establish shortly a regular air service between Angola and Portugal. In South-west Afi'ica, as in every quarter of that continent which but yesterday lay remote in age-long isolation, the influences of civilisation increase; and. even if Angola is not British territory. British engineers may at least claim that they have contributed to the progress of "their Portuguese neighbours.