WHAT WAR WITH TRIPOLI MEANS.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXIX, Issue 10957, 23 December 1911, Page 2

WHAT WAR WITH TRIPOLI MEANS.

DANGERS WHICH ITALY MUST FACE.

By Richard Norton

(The Director of the American Archaeological Expedition to Cyrene).. . It has fallen to my lot during recent years to make long stays in the Province of Tripoli in connection with the a rchaso logical work upon which I have been engaged, and my knowledge of the country is intimate. I have been right through it from Bengazi to Derma, and I know the coast thoroughly from Tripoli to Bomba. When I left Tripoli last May there was no suspicion among the natives of any such move on" Italy's part as the one which we are now witnessing. I heard no talk whatever of it. At the same time Italy's feeling towards the provincp had been known for years — her desire, I mean, to secure greater control. I have no wish to discuss the present political situation, but this I may say, that, unless there has been some important development during the- summer which has not been reported in the newspapers, the claim now put forward by Italy that the country needs greater protection certainly seems to oe exaggerated. Of .course, Italy's aggressive movement will be resisted by the Turks, despite the difficult position in which they now find themselves owing to the lack of a navy and the troubles in tho rest of their Empire, which are 1 demanding the employment of most of their troops. I take it, also, that the movement will be resisted by the natives if for ho other reason than, the simple fact that a Mohammedan does not wish to be ruled by a Catholic. It seems perfectly possible for Italy to land her troops and maintain a sort of control. But she will have to face an extremely long, expensive, and difficult campaign before she can hope to obtain what may be called an organised protectorate. The number of the inhabitants of the Province of Tripoli is unknown, because, of course, the population is composed largely of semi-Bedouin Arabs, and no proper census has ever been taken. There are not many cities, though scattered about the province are large numbers of small towns situated around the oases. The places which undoubtedly will chiefly occupy the attention of Italy now are Tripoli, the capital of the Province, and Bengazi, the chief city of the Bengazi vilayet. Her difficulties will commence on the coast line, where there are no harbors. The anchorages at Tripoli, Bengazi, and Derna are merely open - roadsteads, which offer little protection to ships during the prevailing winds of the winter months. Indeed, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for vessels to anchor at all, except when the weather is extremely favorable.

There is one matter in this connection upon which I should like to touch—one which is in' danger of being overlooked by the people in this country. Close to the Egyptian frontier is the magnificent harbor of Tobruk. If this were fortified by a European Power* it would, one would think, very seriously interfere with the value to England of Malta and Gibraltar. One would" like to feel assured that England has nothing to fear from this quarter. Granted that the Italian troops are landed, their difficulties in the country will be enormous, because there are no roads, and, what is equally important, extremely little water. The only cultivated part of the province is around the oases and the strip of plain along the coast. Unquestionably, however, Italy, or any other established government, would be able Jn time to make it pay —with the conservation of water and the modern knowledge of dry farming. It is mainly rough, rolling country; there are no mountains, though the higher plateau is much broken by steep and rocky wadies. So that, taken altogether, it is a. country where, if the Arabs should resist, there is a great possibility of a long and arduous guerilla warfare. The Arabs, it may be worth noting, are almost all of them of the Senussi sect, which, as is well known, is one of the great reforming sects of the Mohammedan world. A few words as to the trade of the Province of Tripoli. At the present time it is mainly in the hands of Italians, who have established a branch of the Banca di Roma, with offices at Tripoli, Bengazi and Derna. And, so far as my knowledge goes, the difficulties which the Italian merchants have had to contend with do not- seem to be greater than those which all Westerners have to encounter in Oriental countries. At the. same time, it is perfectly natural for Turkey hot to be eager to grant the Italians the special privileges which they claim, considering their often-expressed desire to own and rule the country.

Most of the trade consists of the exportation of local products such as butter and straw mats, together with a great many goats, sheep, and small cattle. In certain parts also grain is raised, which is exported to this country, and also the Esparto grass, which is used here for paper of special kinds, among them, I believe, the Bank of England notes.

So far as the general government of the country is concerned, the Turks seem to me to show their well-known aptitude for ruling the semi-wild Arabs. Their attention, howeysi', has been so long turned towards their European provinces that Tripoli is undoubtedly a wilder and more savage country than many other parts of their Empire. My own experience with the Turkish officials has been that they did everything in their power—and did it well—to help people to travel, and certainly to carry out scientific work when convinced that they had 110 ulterior political motive. ■ The Arabs themselves are, of course, fanatical, and one must take precautions when amongst them. But they, like most wild people, are easy to convince of one's good intentions and then work readily for one. Very little evidence of the influence of Western civilisation is seen in places .such as Tripoli, Bengazi, Derna, and Mcrdj. There are, for example, no hotels nor markets where articles such as we are accustomed to need can be bought. But if one is used to Arab methods of life one can get along in these places very comfortably. At Tripoli there are the Consulates of all the bigger Powers. It is the chief seat of the military force and of -the Governor of the whole province. Its trade is intimately related with that of the more central portions..of Africa, such as Wawai, whence comes one of the most famous caravan routes.