m
ITALY REALIZES DREAM OF EMPIRE
But From Where Will the Capital Come to Develop. Ethiopia’s
Unexploited Resources? And Will Italians Colonize Country?
By WILLIAM C. UTLLEY
WITH the annexation of Ethiopia by Italy, the Dark Con
tinent of Africa now consists entirely of “colonies” of
the European nations, with the single exception of Li
beria, a tiny negro republic on the Atlantic coast near
the equator and just south of the Sahara desert.
^ Africa covers 12,000,000 square miles and is the home of 150,
000,000 people. For four hundred years the continent has been a
colonial pie sliced up by the swords of half a dozen nations.
Much of the territorial holdings in it are in the hands of three
minor nations which are hardly in a position to defend their hold
lugs uguuiHi uie cvuumra which uiv
the past few decades have asserted
their power more substantially.
These three powers are Spain,
Portugal and Belgium. They rule
over 1,850,000 square miles of Afri
ca and among their colonial sub
jects are 17,500,000 people.
■0 With her new colony, which Mus
solini says will be developed to its
fullest extent immediately, Italy
now has possession of Libya, a vast
stretch of country across the Medi
terranean in a southerly direction
Trom the mother country; Eritrea,
along the southern end of the Red
sea; Ethiopia, which includes the
headwaters of the Nile, and Italian
Somaliland, which lies along the In
dian ocean and borders Ethiopia on
the south.
Flanks Britain's "Life-Line."
This means that Italy has become
an empire, that Victor Emanuel is
S longer merely a king, but an em
ror. The only barrier that sep
arates the two major sections of
this vast colonial estate is the An
approximately 65,000,000 pertont. In
cluding Egypt, these colonies cover
3fi2Sfi00 square miles, making the
population about 16 to the square
mile. The British colonies, which
stretch the full length of Africa on the
eastern side of the continent, are the
most inhabitable sections.
In annexing Ethiopia, Italy will
hare added about 850,000 square
miles to her colonial empire, and
will have gathered another 10,000,
000 persons under the Italian flag.
With the new conquest, the popu
lation of her African colonies rises
from 2.5 persons to the square mile
to 10.5 persons to the square mile.
She now controls nearly 1,267,000
square miles of Africa, with a pop
ulation of 13,350,000 persons.
Belgium’s territory, while It Is
large, consists almost entirely of
equatorial jungle, which Is not at
the present time valuable. What
Its worth will be when and If the
jungle of the Belgian Congo Is ever
cleared. Is unknown. There are
—
Italian Planet In an Air Raid Near Addis Ababa.
glo-Egyptian Sudan. Italy la now
firmly entrenched along both sides
of the Mediterranean and at the
; southern mouth of the Red sea, be
ouning what is probably the dom
•. lrtating factor along the life-line of
Britain’s empire.
Britain, with her prestige falling
apart because of the total Ineffec
.duality of her campaign In the
X^gue of Nations to stop the Ital
ian’ course of empire, and the utter
Allure Of her fleet to bluff 11 Duce
f Into backing down, now finds herself
' In a most embarrassing position.
C *Not only has she suffered great loss
of respect in the eyes of the world, but
the has ceased to dominate the route
to India through the Sues canal. Her
line of colonies which stretch from
Cairo to the Cape of Good Hope are
ssMor.ger flanked by a nation without
sufficient power to worry anybody, but
by the colonies of a nation which ii
not only powerful in Africa but in
Europe itself. And the source of much
of the all-important irrigation of Egyp
tafe lands is now in the hands of a
power which is at present hostile.
Of the African colonies, Britain’s
are, however, undoubtedly the best.
More than one-fourth of the conti
nent Is covered by the Sahara des
: ert, and there is another large des
ert, the Kalahari, in the South. The
i average density of the population
Ip Africa is about twelve to a square
mile, as compared with about forty
I to a square mile In the United
States. The density of population
«f the British colonies Is everywhere
above the average for the continent,
while the possessions of every other
power have an average density be
Jow^the continental average.
France !• Biggest Holder.
' France and Great Britain now
share equally about two-thirds of
jhfrica. The remainder Is divided
up between Italy, Belgium, Spain
||]MlM>ortugal.
| It Is France who Is the largest
judder of territory in Africa. She
Iws the Island of Madagascar In the
|fp»Atiin ocean off the southeast Afri
Ka^ coast, Morocco, Algiers and
But since so much of her
foldings include desert land—she
Virtually. owns the Sahara—her 4,
£82,000 square miles of territory
Save an average population of only
E£in.sonls to the square mile. Her
!g(rican colonial subjects number
About 88.600.000 in all
not many people able to exist In
these 920,000 square miles, the pop
ulation being about ten persons to
the square mile, with a total of 9,
584,000.
Even more sparse Is the popula
tion of Portugal’s several African
colonies, chief among which are
Angola, bordering the Atlantic coast
to the south of the Belgian Congo,
and Mozambique along the Indian
ocean on the mainland opposite
Madagascar. The Portuguese ter
ritory embraces a little less than
800,000 square miles, with a little
over 7,000,000 inhabitants, or about
nine to the square mile.
Spain’* Share Sparsely Settled.
Spain’s 140,000 square miles of
African territory, chiefly In Moroc
co and on the Atlantic seaboard
Kietro Baaogiio, itaiys new vice
roy of Ethiopia, surveys the lay of
the land as an aide points it out to
him.
west of the Sahara, are inhabited
by only about 900,000 persons, or 6.5
to the square mile.
The popular conception that colo
nies in Africa offer the Quropean
colonizing nations an outlet for their
excess populations has been proved
more or less false. With all the colo
nization and empire building of 400
years, only one person in SO on the
African continent today is white. There
are in sdl only about 3,000,000 whites.
R la also doubtful that the Dark
any great market for goods manu
factured In Europe. Natives, large
ly of a primitive character, require
little of the manufactured goods of
civilization. It may be possible that
Recent picture of the defeated
Emperor Halle Selassie.
with continued development this
market will be built up. But such
development takes an enormous
amount of capital.
That is the one big disappoint
ment to Italy in her conquest of
Ethiopia. The land, exclusive of
the central plateau, Is poor, the nat
ural resources are ridiculously less
than they have been estimated in
the popular fancy of those who
seek to justify II Duce’s bloody war.
Colonization Is Difficult.
Mussolini claimed a double pur
pose in his conquest of the ancient
kingdom of Abyssina—room for his
overcrowded people to expand, and
the obtainment of raw materials
for Italian industries. But Italian
people are apparently not so willing
to become colonists in an unpleas
ant and uncomfortable land. In
Eritrea, which has been Italian
now for 50 years, there are only
about 100 colonists.
The entire Ogaden area, with the
.provinces of Boron and Bale, to com
pletely conquered by the force* of
General Graziani, are of little or no
value, being principally desert. He has
not yet moved into the rich agricul
tural regions of the Arussi plateau, al
though that is scheduled to be hi* next
step.
There has been some romantic
gossip of vast oil deposits in Ethio
pia, especially in the Ogaden dis
trict, but these have been largely de
nied by the facts. What mineral
resources are present will be found
for the larger part In the Danakll
country to the northeast, but even
these are uncertain. There is some
salt, which Italy mined during the
war—at a cost all out of proportion
to its value in peace times.
Italy Most Aid Coloniits.
The important part of Ethiopia is
the central plateau, whose popula
tion is the traditional enemy of
the tribes on the outskirts below.
Here it is that Mussolini plans to
put most of his colonists. The coun
try Is agriculturally rich and the
climate, while It is not pleasant to
white people by any means, is at
least livable. While the plateau may
be said to be conquered. It is not
yet entirely occupied by Italian
armies, the Gojam and Shoa being
still unoccupied.
If the colonization of the plateau
is to be successful, the colonists
must be given a great deal .of aid
by the mother country. The fact
that the colonists will start from
scratch will be a boon to Italian in
dustry, for the demand for heavy
goods for the building of a new na
tion should give millions more work.
It is believed that the colonists will
be able to raise cereals and live
stock, finding a market for them in
Italy, and selling them for prices
which will be higher than the world
market for the same goods.
One of the principal problems facing
the new Ethiopian emperor and his
viceroy. General Badoglio, is what to
do with the natives. It is hardly possi
ble that they can be driven from ths
land; they certainly will not be al
lowed to compete with the Colonists
on equal terms, for they will be able to
work for far smaller compensation, tht
Italians being unable to compete with
their low standard of living. The sit
uation will be much the same as that
which the Japanese peasants found it
attempting to colonize Manchuria.
With the exception of some little
platinum and gold, the mineral re
sources of Ethiopia are largely s
fable. The wealth, if any, which II
will add to Italy will have to be
worked out of the land In hard Ital
ian sweat—and with the capitalize
tlon of hundreds of millions of dol
lars. Italy hasn’t got the hundred!
of millions.
But she has now fulfilled what
Mussolini says has been the dream
of Fascism for 15 years. Italy hat
become an empire. It sounds big
and It earns n Duce invaluable
plaudits from bis people
Yesterday’s Literary Lights.
Hollywood, calif.—
The other day Finley Pe
ter Dunne passed away. Thirty
years ago his articles meant
each week a roar of joy as wide
as the continent. His books sold
enormously; his country prop
erly acclaimedIhlm its greatest sa
tiric humorist. Yet I’ll venture not
one in five of the on-coming gener
ation ever heard his name, and we
thought the fame of ‘‘Mr. Dooley”
wag eternal.
Mary Johnston, who wrote some
of the most distinguished novels of
her time, also died recently. In the
papers I saw she rated only a brief
paragraph.
Slower than Americans to give
their love to man or woman, the
Irvin 8. Cobb
CiiigiiBu reiuuia in
sentiment wedded
to the Idol from
then on. The mar
riage between pop
ularity and merit
lasts till death doth
them part But, we,
who elevate a fa
vorite to a pedes
tal overnight, for
get that favorite
overnight. We make
an ardent sweet
heart, an Impetu
ous bride, but a
most inconstant spouse.
• * •
"Simplified” Revenue Bills.
CONGRESS Is wrestling with the
new "simplified” revenue bill,
having simplified It down to a mere
sixty-odd thousand words—about
the length of a fair-sized summer
novel. But the plot is different—
and having made its provisions so
clear and lucid that you may read
it backward or forward, you seem
to get practically the same result
either way.
It may yet be necessary to call
in Professor Einstein to elucidate
it. If he can explain his theory
of relativity—and the professor still
asserts he can—he might be willing
to tackle the Job.
Anyhow, the ultimate outcome—
and in this connection I certainly
like that word “outcome”—must
be that congress will find a method
further to lighten pocketbooks.
• • •
Where the League’s Headed.
TN SPITE of what’s happened
A lately, one persistent last-ditcher
and forlorn-hoper among the Brit
ish diplomats Insists the League of
Nations, to quote his own words, is
“a going concern.”
Yes, but where?
Makes me think of p. little yarn
a man told me:
“Fifteen of us,” he said, “were
waiting our turns to buy tickets
one hot night at Grand Central
station. All at once a gentleman,
far overtaken in alcohol, forced
his way to the head of the line,
using his head to butt with and
his elbows to paddle with, and emp
tied his pockets of some small
change, and slapped it down on
the shelf and yelled: ‘Gimme a
ticket to Buffalo!’ .
“‘This all the money you got?’
demanded the man behind the
wicket
" ‘Yes.*
“‘Why, you can’t go to Buffalo
for a dollar and forty cents.’
“Well, where can I go, then?” said
the stew.
"And with one voice all fifteen of
us told him.”
• • •
G-Man Hoover’a Efficiency.
YOU can’t help liking the fel
low’s style of repartee.
“And what’s a person named
I Hoover doing to justify his hang
ing on with this administration?”
or words to that general effect, says
Senator McKeller, of old Tennessee,
; brightly. “’Scuse me, massa,” mur
murs J. Edgar, reaching for his
hat and handcuffs. / "Ah won’t be
gone long, boss." And inside of a
week or two he drifts in, strum
ming a plantation tune on his G
string and, by gum. If he Isn’t tow
ing a whole mess of public ene
mies.
That’s what I call an apt retort,
or, as the purists would put It, a
snappy comeback.
• • •
Yellow Publie Enemies,
WHAT is It has turned them
from cop-kllllng bravos Into
quivering wretches who cower In
hiding like mice behind a wainscot,
who flinch like trapped rabbits
when they’re smoked out, who
whine like whipped cur-dogs for a
chance to plead guilty?
Can It be because, Instead * of
courageous but Inexperienced local
officers, they now face trained
man-hunters who’d rather destroy
such human vermin than eat plel
Or Is It because, Instead of going
to trial In state courts where un
scrupulous shysters may trick dased
Jurors Into showing mistaken mercy
and where, even though convicted,
there’s nothing ahead worse tluin
temporary detention In some crim
inal-coddling retreat with senti
mental meddlers to pamper them
and mush-minded parole boards
waiting to free them, now they get
a full measure of stern Justice
from federal Judges and go to real
prisons, to stay there—hurrah I
‘IRVIN B. COBB
"Wrestling for Life’*
By FLOYD GIBBONS
Famous Headline Hunter.
MEET Fellow Adventurer Jack Kapsol of Brooklyn, N. Y.
Jack is a gas station attendant and comes into the club with
flying colors and a story of a hand-to-hand battle he had with a
hold-up man.
Speaking of hold-ups in gas stations, I want to tell you
about Bill Kernan, a friend of mine who runs a service station in
Miami, Fla. Bill was sitting alone in his lonely station one night
last winter.
There had been a lot of gas station holdups In town recently
and Bill was feeling pretty nervous this night. He had quite a
bit of money In the cash register and didn’t like the looks of the
weather. It was raining cats and dogs and the streets were
deserted.
Suddenly the light of a big car driving Into his driveway startled him.
The car skidded to a stop and two men jumped out and entered the office.
Bill took one look at them and nearly fainted. Both wore masks I
Masked Devil and Pirate Hold Up Gas Station.
Without waiting for the command, Bill raised his hands over his bend
and dropped weakly Into a chair. He looked his night visitors over with
popping eyes. And no wonder! One of them looked like the devil—I mean
exactly that—he was dressed In a devil’s costume complete from horns to
spiked tall! The other masked man was a pirate and pistols and daggers
peeped threateningly from his belt I
What a disguise, Bill thought, and with chattering teeth he
told them to help themselves to the cash register. Bill’s boss had
told him not to resist in case of a holdup and Bill, being an obedi
ent employee, obeyed. But the men paid no attention to the cash
register. The pirate instead drew out a long pistol and leveled it
at Bill’s trembling head:
"Give us some gas or your life,” he growled.
Bill jumped at the command and quickly filled their tank. He spilled
a lot of the gas on the road but that didn’t matter. All he wanted to do
was to get rid of bis dangerous customers as soon as possible. A few gal
lons of gas was a cheap price to pay, he thought
Holdup Turns Out to Be Revelers’ Lark.
Then as be finished filling the tank Bill got another shock. The devil
reached in a mysterious pocket and handed him a five dollar bill. BUI
looked at the money In amazement. A strong whisky odor came from the
devU’s breath.
“Keep the change," he muttered thickly.
And the two “bandits” climbed into their big car and drove back to
the fancy dress ball they had just left I
This Time It’s Really a Serious Affair.
That’s one service man’s story. Jack Kapsol's experience wasn’t quite
so funny and bis bandit hadn't been to any masquerade either.
Jack had the night watch at his father’* service station on
Liberty avenue in Jamaica, L. I. One Saturday night—or rather
8unday morning, for It was 3 a. m.—Jack was sitting alone wait
ing for customers. The date was December 1, 1934. Business had
been good that day and there was plenty of jack in Jack’s cash
register.
The street was deserted when a big blue Bulck drove up and two
tough looking characters asked for 10 gallons of gas. Jack gave it to them
The Thug Swung an Ugly Black-Jack at Him.
and they gave him a two dollar bill In payment. When he started Into the
office to get the change one of the men—a big fellow in a heavy overcoat
—followed him.
“Hand all the dough over,” the big man ordered with a corse and
pulled a heavy black-jack out of his coat pocket Jack says the black-jack
was an ugly looking weapon and the sight of It almost made him obey.
But he figured he couldn’t give up his father’s money without a struggle.
Besides, Jack Is an amateur wrestler and a pretty big fellow himself.
Jack’s Knowledge of Wrestling Was a Life Saver.
He reached for the cash register, pretending to obey, and then sud
denly made a flying tackle at the holdup man. Wham I the black-jack
whistled through the air and down went both men. Jack had been too
fast for the black-jack. He got under it as the weapon whizzed by his ear
and grabbing the bandit’s arm applied a “Japanese arm lock."
Old you ever see that hold? It’s a pip and you can snap a
man’s arm with it But the arm Jack held had a heavy overcoat
on It and Its powerful owner broke the hold. Jack got a “full Nel
son” on him next and was able to keep away from the black-jack.
And now comes as strange an ending as any professional wrestling
bout ever bad. The bandit bad been smoking a cigarette when he came In.
The shock of Jack's attack had knocked the lighted cigarette on the floor.
In a corner of the office was a keg of highly Inflammable antl-freeze
solution.
Danger of Explosion Was Greater Than Robbery.
The tap bad leaked and as Jack struggled desperately on the floor be
saw to his horror that the cigarette had ignited the liquid. A blue streak
of flame was already heading for the keg. The next minute might see an
explosion that would make the wrestling match a tie—with both wrestlers
dead!
Jack didn’t know what to do. But hla opponent did and he did
it fast The bandit apparently had no desire to be blown up. He
saw the Are starting and he started with it Right out the door he
went and slamming it after him was off In the car with his partner
in a cloud of dust
Jack had literally fallen out of the frying pan Into the fire! The
money was safe but now It looked like the whole place would go up In
flames.
Jack Kicked D' ath Right Out the Door.
He Jumped for his leather coat and tried to smother the increasing
blaze. The burning liquid splashed on his arms and burnt them severely.
The wood of the keg was actually burning when he tried to move It to
safety.
One spark on that keg and It would be all over. He braced
hlmeelf against the wall and with his pants leg burning kicked the
keg off its cradle and out the doorl Wowl If that isn’t kicking
dynamite, what 1st
But Jack got away with it He stamped out the fire Inside the station
and then took a« inventory. Hie Inventor; ‘
coat, one pair of pants
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■
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