Daily Post - 02.02.1943, Side 3

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DAJLY POST
More Abont Tunisia.
A Rich Country.
Although agriculture is high-
ly developed in French North
Africa, there is practically no
heavy industry in spite of the
fact that the subsoil is rich in
many deposits. Iron, for in-
stance, is to be found all along
the mountainous chain that
runs from the Atlantic to Bi-
zerta, and specially in Algiers.
But those Algerian deposits are
not exploited, although enough
iron ore could be extracted for
smelting steel and casting guns
and shells for a one hundred
years’ war or for the more de-
sirable implements of peace. All
this mineral wealth remains un-
used. Why? Because the con-
cessions were granted to com-
panies formed by the same
people who own the rich mines
of Lorraine and, anxious to
avoi'd competitioh, they were
clever enough to exclude from
théir agreement a clause com-
pelling them to work their
mines.
VALUABLE MINES
In Tuhisia, however, M. Cam-
bon was not caught napping,
and when deposits were dis-
covered in the Regency he im-
posed on the concessionaires the
same “articles and conditions”
as have to be accepted in Aus-
tralia. So the phosphate aiad
iron mines in Tunis have been
properly worked. Needless to
say, there was no fear that the
zinc and manganese deposits
would remain unexploited. As
it is, the immense phosphate de
posits of Metlaoui and of Re-
deyef yield ánnually about
twenty million tons which are
carried by two railway lines to
the ports of Sfax and Sousse,
where there is modern equip-
mént for loading, surpassed
only by Casablanca for the
Kourighat phosphates of Mor-
ccco.
CROPS
In the valleys of north Tuni-
sia, betwéen the well-wooded
slopes of the hills and moun-
tains, there are very fertile
wheat land and vineyards; the
plains of the south, which were
bare desert sixty years ago, are
now covered by immense plan-
tations of olive trees that ex-
pand fanlike specially around
Sousse and Sfax. They number
more than 18 millions. One gets
an idea of the increase of value
of the desert when one knows
that an acre of bare land can be
secured for five francs, and,
fifteen years after, when the
tree.'f bear an average crop, the
land changes hands for 400
francs.
POPULATION
The population of Tunisia is
prosperous. There are two mil-
lion Moslems, Arabs and Ber-
bers, mostly attached to the soil
that provides them with ample
resources. The Jews number
fifty-two thousand, in the towns
mostly, and the majority has ac-
quired French nationality. Eu-
ropeans, chieíly French and Ita-
lians, including a good many-
Maltese, number 200,000; and,
whatever Fascist propaganda
may say, the majority of these
are French. The Italian colony
is composed largely of a rabble
of street-porters, dockhands,
and unskilled labourers who
iive in conditions inferior even
to the poorest natives. It is cer-
tainly not to them that the eco-
nomie development and the in-
crease of land values in Tunisia
are due.
Todajf’s B. B. C.
Programme
HOME SERVICE
(lcelandic TimeJ.
1600 News, 1645 Scottish
Half Hour, 1725 “Howdy
Folks”, Kenway and Young,
1755 “To Start You Talking”,
1815 Brains Trust, 1900 News,
1940 B.B.C. Scottish Orchestra,
2010 Midweek Service, 2030
Reading, 2050 Ivy Benson’s
Ladies Dance Orchestra.
FORCES’ PROGRAMME
(lcelandic Timej.
1500 Sandy MacPherson at
the Theatre Organ, 1515 B.B.C.
Northern Orchestra, 1545 John
Hilton Talking, 1600 News, 1630
News from the Dominions, 1700
American Sports Bulletin, 1705
Ambrose Players, 1730 Piping
and fiddling, 1745 “These You
Have Loved”, records, 1830
Henry Hall’s Guest Night, 1900
Perfect
Organisafion.
A soldier returned to Berlin
from the Russian front with a
slight wound and went to a hos-
pital for treatment. He found
two doors, one marked “Offi-
cers” and the other “Troops”.
He went in the' door marked
“Troops” and found two more
doors, one marked “Seriously
Wounded” and the other
marked “Slightly Wounded”.
He went in the door marked
“Slightly Wounded” and found
two more doors, one marked
“Party Members” and the other
“Non-Party Members”. He went
through the door marked “Non-
Part^/ Members” and found
himself in the street again.
When the' soldier returned
home a friend asked him what
the hospital had done for him.
He replied: “Nothing, but the
organization was perfect.”
(Newsweek, Dayton. Ohicj.)
Reykjavik
Letter
The Town Council is to set up
a first-aid station in the town,
open 24 hours a day to deal with
accidents. It will cost 140,000
krónur per year.
News, 1925 “Into Battle”, 1935
Play: “Hitch Hike”, 2000 Re-
cords, 2030 Troise and his Ban-
joliers.
In Reykjavík
Today ...
CINEMAS
NÝJA BÍÓ: “That Nigfit in
Rio” with Alice Faye, Don
Ameche and Carmen Miranda.
GAMLA BÍÓ: “Gone with the
Wind” with Vivien Leigh,
Clark Gable, Leslie Howard
and Olivia de Havilland.
TJARNARBÍÓ: “The Foreman
Went to France,“ wtih Tom-
my Trinder and Constance
Cummings.
REYKJABÍÓ: “And One Was
Beautiful, with Robert Cum-
mings and Laraine Day.
POLAR BEAR THEATRE: “Al-
ways in My Heart” with Kay
Francis and Walter Hpuston-
RED CROSS
3.30— 4.30 Coffee Hour.
8.30—11.00 Dance 3d Special
Services Orchesti’a.
RADIO
Tuesday Concert and Brass
Band Music.
346 new flats and dwellings
were completed in Reykjavík
in 1942. At present, 421 more
are under construction.
Fifty-one members of the WAVES, women’s auxiliary service
created to release fighting men in the U.S. Navy, have gone to
work in the New York City offices of the Navy.