PROSPEROUS EGYPT

Hokitika Guardian, 12 January 1922, Page 4

PROSPEROUS EGYPT

(By Iris Sapliia.) ALEXANDRIA, Nov 10. Probably nowhere else in the woill can such contrasts be seen between the old and the new state of affairs brought about by the war as in Egypt. 1 h,s is almost entirely due to the enoimous prices that have been realised for Egypt ian cotton.

It is safe to say that almost every one of Egypt’s cieven million sons and daughters is, directly or indirectly connected with he cotton-growing industry in one way or another. The great majority are either large agricultural landowners or tenants, or else members of the barefooted, blue-shifted army of peasant workers who are hired to devOt - eleven months out of every year of their lives to ceaseless toil in the cottonfields.

Since the early days of the British occupation the large land owners have Iteen in tlie Knbit of sending tfieir sons to be educated in Europe. One is, therefore accustomed to seeing the younger generation expend the accumulated wealth of their fathers on new ly acquired pleasures and pastimes. But owing to the enormous prices obtained for cotton within the past few years the smaller landowners, or fellahs, have also been able to' extort rents, or to sell their annual crops for sums hitherto undreamed of. And it is this class which now constitutes Egypt’s noveaux riches. Very’ few of them read or write and many have never travelled from their native villages beyond Cairo or Alexandria. Their efforts to get the most out of their newly acquired wealth are many and varied. Among the dahabiehs, or house-boats, on the Nile at Caip there are certain floating palaces moored beside the more modesi craft of the ordinary residents along the banks of the river. These belong toi the newly-made rich fellahs.

The taste of one of these gentry may incline towards the river craft., Although ho may own all sorts of motorboats and steam launches, ke prefers to pass continually up and down the river, in front of the other dahabiehs, enthroned like an ancient monarch in a state barge propelled by ten boatmen, all uniformed in scarlet jerseys, with the name of his dahabieh emblazoned across their chests.

Another may live farther 1 along the river. His taste runs to horses-r-fast trotting horses, And this modern Jehu may be seen at all hours of the day thundering along at top speed in a trotting-car behind a new purchase. During the summer the Alexandria seaside houses are rented at most exorbitant prices to these folk, to whom money is no, object, and in the, Cairo season the Nile dehabieh proprietors deniand what rent they like, and usually siicceed in getting in.

A 1 good many of the elders still keep to the loose robes and turbans of their fbrefathers. Their clothing is of the very best cloth and finest quality silk, but the taster of their sons in £he matter of European attire is startling. Their preference is for suits and overcoats of wonderful colours, made from materials especially manufactured by enterprising manufacturers for export to the Egyptian market. Hedge-sparrow blue suits and draught-board checks find great favour, especially! when worn in combination ■with aggressively brown boots of vivid lilies.