Suez Canal’s Fascinating History

Northern Advocate, 16 August 1940, Page 2

Suez Canal’s Fascinating History

The fascinating history of the Suez Canal was recalled m an address which Mr J. S. Sinclair delivered to the members of ihe Otago Importer? and Shippers' Association on the occasion of the annual meeting of that body.

As Mr Sinclair, pointed out, the war final ion has once more invested thr

question of the Suc-z. Canal with considerable significance, for it was the speaker's opinion that Hitler would not readily attempt an invasion of j Britain but would, rather, attack her 1

at some point away from her fortress ; home, and where she might be more j vulnerable. ; The speaker, in traversing the ' events which led up to one of the | greatest engineering achievements in | history, paid a warm tribute to the j genius, the determination, and the I

ultimate success of the Frenchman j Ferdinand de Lcsscps. who. in the i face of tremendous odds, had carried , through a project of such vast import- J ante. De Lesceps had succeeded ) largely because of the friendship i which had grown up between him and the Viceroy of Egypt.

li seemed incredible, said the speaker, that, at the outset, Britain had raised strenuous objections to the : scheme, and, when it was realised that i de Lcsscps had obtained the required j sanction and had formed a company, j strong representations were made to ; the Sultan. There was only one thing j to do. and that was for de Lessens to ; win over England, and this he did ; through the agency of the mercantile j and maritime interests in that conn- j try. by assuring them that no one j nation would be permitted to control j the canal. i Vast Annual Foes How the work was begun in 185 E ; and iho canal completed in 1869 is a • matter of history, but de Lcsscps en- | countered more difficulties, as during ! the first year of operations only 690 i ships passed through, and the fees | amounted to but. .£186.000. Today the | annual fees represented something like £9.000.000 or £10.000,000. Mr Sinclair told of England’s response to the appeal of Egypt to repel the threatened invasion of the Arabs, and'how England eventually assumed control of the canal and how the nations, including Germany and Italy, j had agreed to the neutrality and sane- j lily of it. Ships of all flags, warships j or merchant vessels, were to use it urn- ] molested, and it was not to be blocka- j ded under any circumstances. The; world knew, however, said Mr Sin- ] clair, what the word of the dictator j was worth. j In 2.8 years the concession, which ■ was for 99 years, would come to an ; end. said Mr Sinclair. What would j happen then no one knew. But one hoped that Egypt, which had never | spent one penny on the canal or con- j tributed one penny toward its cost, ! would remember what England had : done in preserving it and helping, by this means, to bring fertility, and vast wealth to tire land of Egypt. Mr Sinclair stressed tile importance of this great waterway to the world ! today, and pointed out that, whatevei j happened, the canal was one of the i danger spots in the Mediterranean. ! and that it was essential lor England j to retain control of the Mediterranean, j That England would carry out her j covenant of 1368 went without saying.: She would guard the canal and protect j it from blockade and invasion.

Loan.—The executive council of the j National Union of Distributive and ; Allied Workers are to lend £50.000 to j the Government free of interest, says a 8.0. W. wireless message. They have also authorised the purchase through ;he Trades Union Congress of four mobile canteens for the use of members of the forces.