1938-01-04 — Page 22

10

T

HINGS are not going 'well with the conquerors

of Abyssinia.

By that I do not mean that there is any likelihood of the Italians having to with- draw, or of the Emperor'n authority being reasserted.

Or (wildest tale of all recently circulated for the credulous) that Bignor Mussolini ta going to ask Halle Boineslo to return hume and help restore order.

All that is just pipe-dreaming. But what is quite sure, from all reliable information that trickles through, is that the conquerors are having an exceedingly had time

dr it.

The conquest is by no means completed, and not likely to be completed for years to come.

And all the visions of great riches from the exploitation of Abyssinia's natural wealth, all the dreams of happy colonies of pros- perous Italian settiers have faded into a grey disappointment."

The new Empire is proving a source, not of pront, but of heavy and continued loss. Not a single Italian colonist has set foot in the promised land.

* * *

It la just about eighteen months since the Italian troops marched Into Addis Ababa, In those eighteen months hardly anything has changed. The conquest to- day is no inore effective than it was then,

Certainly the Abyssinian " provi- sional Government" which was at Gore has collapsed. The last more Owing or less organised nrmy (more or less) allegiance to Halle Selassie has been dispersed,

When weather allows, the big Capronis go out on raida, dropping Incendiary bombs on random vil- lages to remind them that Fascist Italy has not abandoned her civil- Ising mission and that the Emperor Victor Emmanuel Is Lord of the Abyssinian Air.

★ * *

But raiding in the air is a very dif ferent thing from ruling on the earth. And except in a few widely separated towns the Italian Emperor exercisen no more authority in Abysstula than the King of Blain.

The Capronis can bounb. But they du mot dare to land.

What has happened this: The governing power in Abyssinia-which was the power of the hiperor and his Tusen-linn been destroyed without be- ing replace. And so the greater part of the country has relapsed to that tribalism which was the nora 1 fore the iron hand of irnelik nud hin Anbaras began to weld Abyssinia into an Empire,

Now the Italian, mat hegin all over

THE

TELEGRAPH. HONGKONG

TUESDAY,

JANUARY

Men and Things. Abroad–by W. N. Ewer

Now Italians

are Asking:

Making young Blackshirts of the title Abyssinians-they hope. The tiny area over which Italy has effective control is shown, shaded, in the map belvio.

egain the work of Alenellk. They have not really begun as yet.

Every tow and again somethin happens of which little or no news comics into the outside world. But as JA the DEBL

refagres stream across torder into Dritish Bonalliand or Kenya

There are no newspaper men in those parts; and whatever tales the refugers tell. the British frontier oilleers keep under their helmets, or confitentially to only report very Whiteimil

Whichal must, one way and an-

nther, know quite a lot about the state

of affairs Itiside Abyssinia. But for

rather olividus reasons. It keeps its

knowledge to itself.

But this quite sure. Eighteen munths after the fall of Adels, all that the Italiana rule of Abyssinia is a little patch nround Adown in the North, Addla and Harrar in the centre, Gore and Gambelo (which can get food from the Sudan) in the West; and a few other odd patches on the borders.

From Addis east to Djibotili runs the From Addly north to railway line. Adowa runs the new military road, opened in August. These are the two life-lines of the occupation

* *

And the greater part of the energy of the conquerors goes to keeping them open for the trickle of cupplies from home without which they must slarve in the midst of their conquest.

The new road has been made at big expense and with incredible exertion by military labour. It is n fine fent of

ADDIS ABABA

1938.

What Price

this Empire

GLORY?

turn for all the expenditure of labour and money.

The Italians in Abyssinia are like the Red Queen through the looking glass. They must run desperately hard in order to stay where they are. If they are going to make any progress they must run even faster; and that is not .going to be easy.

Life for the garrison of the adminis- tration up in Addis is anything but casy. Working and living at an alti

tudo of 8,000 feet is very trying for Europeans,

ARABIA

BATESSH

ABYSSINIA

KENYA

Hder

SOMALILAND

Bo they talk of a new capital 1,000 feet lower. But to build it and run road and rail to it is another big task.

Here in Addis is the main body of the con- querors.

Lords of the land around them, they dare not go n few miles, out of town unless as an expedition with tanks and armoured cars complete, and acro planes to scout for them.

They, who should be garnering great riches from the conquest, cannot even live on it them. selves. Since the February massacre the natives have been sullen and subdued. There is ittle enough danger ut open revolt in or around the city. Bu accept Italian rule, they not in the least anxious to neopt Italian money.

ITALIAN SOMALILAND

they

are

engineering, for the obstacles were tref mendous and the conditions very d

cult. But os a main artery It is not up to much.

A

The Italians are having to learn tiiat by experience

"owning" Travel along . reports an ardem admirer of Fascist Italy, was very slow colony tues not in the least mean

unlimited that you can buy

TOW and very bumpy and hard on motor

for vehicles.

materials Other traveller report six

in exchange

paper miles an hour as a normal pace, and currency. the wreckage of overturned forries s Quite apart from political prejudice. A common sight.

the Abyssinians look askance at the Italian paper offered them for their produce.

un

And tighteen months after the vle tory) the gangs work always with their rifies plied near at hand. Suttle hol has the Ialian occupation on yet even this vital line of communication. The road-aking has been a bat work. And indeed any amount of work and energy has gone into the new domain. The point is that there is, and is likely to he, precious little re-

It is no use

to them. There is nothing they can buy for it except at fantastic prices. So the natives will not sell.

The re silt up and drop in value. Prices mount. There is talk of a "eur rency crisis."

There has been

some selzlıg

of

"arrears

of

crops for, of course, taxation." The result has been a drop in cultivation. The natives are drift- lng away out of reach of the "tax- Ratherers." The difficulty of feeding the capital is at times neute.

As to the conquerors, they would not bo there at all it they were not con- tinually supplied from home-long their one railway, along their one road.

*

* *

Bometimes, in the past months-for Spanish or other reasons-there has been a falling off in the flow of sup pilles. At once the situation of the conquerors bas Become pre- carlotis: urgent messages have gone to Rome.

Mussolini must feed and feed his new Europe continuously, or it will die. It is not even self-supporting, let

lone profitable.

The conquerors are remittance rien. And the people of Italy must provide and go on providing the remittances. All that tho gittering sword of Rome" has won for them to a new and heavy burden.

The Italian people have spent mil llons, and have got less than nothing in return.

But they are condemned to Bo on For the prestige of Fascism And the vanity of Mussolint are in- volved.

There is a six-year plan of "uvest ment." £150,000,000 are to be spent: the bulk of it on roads and build- ings. And then? Even then there Is hardly i no guarantee, there even the likelihood, that the new Empire will have begun to pay Its way.

* * * Like Blenheim, R was, no doubt, a "famous victory."

The bombing and gassing of the de- Ienceless Abyssinians added, no doubt, new lustre to the Italian arms, tho violation of treaties new honour to the Italian name..

And to It was all very gtorlaus.

15very Mussouni

deservedly the glory.

But it is not surprising that in Italy they are beginning to ask: "What price istory?"

CANADIAN

STEAMSHIPS - HOTELS

PACIFIC

RAILWAYS – EXPRESS

RESUMPTION OF CALL AT SHANGHAI Commencing with the Empress of Russia from Hong Kong January 26, 1938, Canadian Pacific "EMPRESSES” will call at Shanghai on the eastbound voyage.

Tho Empress of Asia from Vancouver will call at Shanghal on January 24, en route to Hong Kong,

SAILING TO MANILA

EMPRESS OF JAPAN

.Jan. 14.

TO CANADA, UNITED STATES and EUROPE

EMPRESS OF RUSSIA

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MAKE BOOKINGS FOR 1938 EARLY desirable accommodation.

Information and rates from

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.Feb. 8. .Feb. 23.

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on

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In Germany

ON Christmas Eve, in Germany as in Fagland, crye runing ground

in a great hurry. Father has bought the huge Christmas tree a few days before, with chirel and hammer he in making a new stand for it, and where the branches are too thick some are cut out to make room for the decoration-

Father and mother decorate the tree together. The dinning-room door in locked against the children from the early morning because the presents are piled on the Hoor. Fritz and his elder sister Edith carefully wrap up the presents they have made during the last months and mark then. "for father" and "for mother" and put them in front of the "dining-room i door. They are put under the Christmas tree unopened.

Christmas Eve brings surprise, or fulfilment of the wishes written by the youngest of the family on a piece of paper weeks ago and put inte a The list as gone the stocking which was hung outside the window.

morning after and the stockings filled with sweets

Fritz knows that father and mother are really Father Christmas, hut this knowledge does not lessen his excitement.

All the candles are AT last the great moment comes, they are called it. A burntig on the tree and the colourful decorations arkle and glitter. There is no other light in the room. Fritz and his younger sister rush to the table to look for their prosenis under the free.

But Edith walks slowly, starting at the lights on the tree. She screams with joy, however, when she finds all the thugs she has So much longed for, She goes to her parents, thank them:

- "That was all Father Chritias," glad that Fritz and is sister know says the father; he smiles and is all the verses that she premises some happy.

little presents as a reward.

The grandparents have come and an sunt. They a cat Christmas MOTHER looks tired after all the i dinner, everyone getting a piece of cooking and baking

the

the enormous Christmas Roose, or done, but there are two holidays in i some carp. The English turkey and front of her, so she dances with all Christmas pudding are not known the family around the tree.

und i

in Germany. Afterwards tes

When the children have gone to bongyenke, sweets and nuts nrei bed, grandma looks in and finds the little girl sleeping beside her new doll, and Fritz's Reroplane has Christmas landed on his blanket.

calen.

Then the aunt ploys songs on the piano. Grandma Is so

THE

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M.S. "NIPPON"

M.S. "NAGARA”

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M.S. "NANKING"

E. B.

Sa tra

29th Jan.

26th Feb. .29th Mar. 28th Apr.

HONGKONG to ANTWERP or LONDON

£53

(Faros for "NIPPON” from £58.10.0.5

(Excellent accommodation still offering for a limited

number of passangers.)

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C. R. HUYGEN. Canforz

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צן

111

114

|12

盗

16

118

10

120

-

122

ACROSS

ציבקין

27

135

1 Looking ahead invaluable to a

marksman (9).

point

This the owner used to out where the gardener was to use the spade (5).

No, this sort of country is not necessarily the right place for farmers to get their meal from (0).

10 Some horse' in Indla (5). 11 What you have to have in 0

down (3).

12 Surdly

not a suitable medium for redecorating kennels? (9). 15 Flinch (5).

10 Well-known cricketer (5).

19 Not a tug but part of a building

(5).

21 Nautical position (3).

22 Many a this may be still reen

in the streets of Pompell (3).

23 Changes of air would have made him a Scottish child (5).

24 Mere perpendicular (5).

20 "Tales" (unag.) (5),

27 Short-lived (0).

31 Bet about this for a stage show

(3).

32 Scottish shiro (5).

33 A coarse quality (0).

35 Meaning (5).

des-

34 This cropping up again

cribes your electric light bl (9).

DOWN

1 Well entertained, not doomed,

In spite of the sound (3).

2 A wordy puzzle about a vehicle

apparently (5),

3 "Our castle's strength will laugh to scurn" ("Mac- beth") (5).

4 A tail-less goot found in only

one part of Asia (3),

6 An Elizabethan surname (5).

24 126

21

6 Direction many a surgeon walks

(9),

7 An aromatic root (8),

BA bit of a teaser certainly (9).

13 This is a common

reversed (3).

14 Prima donna (5).

vessel but

10 Sleepers are always under this sort of misfortune (wo words

4.5).

17 "When sorrows come they come not single spies but in" ("Hamlet") (9).

18 Sullable material for a golfer

to stand on? (0).

20 She was a girl once (3).

25 Colour (3),

27 English muslent composer (5). 28 Ils means

are acquired by means of meanness (5).

| 29 Bird (5).

30 Hungarian musical composer

(5).

34 Sea-monster (3).

Yesterday's Solution

PRECIT

BOMBATOMEN

HULL

DEO GALLEON REM Aİ LORRYE X=18LAM ATOK MUG PIPPA" a} M.ÖURN_BLE PATER IETINAGOMAWEN I

WIDESPIRAVEN OFTENANTSEE ROWSERLE BR TUIMDREADNOUGHT 'N ULLMÖNKI YA RAYN YL PREMATURELY