ACROSS THE SAHARA.

Shannon News, 30 March 1928, Page 3

ACROSS THE SAHARA.

THE PROPOSED RAILWAY. FRENCH CONSENT GIVEN. The project to throw a railway acros/, Ihc Sahara Desert, which will be one • if. the greatest feats man has ever at tempted in his struggle to subdue the dements, lias finally been approved by. he .French-Cabinet, after 30 years oi discussion. ,A)1 the interested Ministries, War, Finance, nterior, Colonies, and Public. Vyorlcs, have given their consent, and M. Poincare, the Premier, and M. Tardieu, Minister of Public Works, have exchanged ; letters by which they /igfeed to submit to Parliament during .ts present session a Bill setting up a commission to study the various routes and provide a fund of £IOO,OOO foi Ehese studies. The State will then probably. hand over the concession to a company representing all the French railway lines. The main purpose of the new Sahara line, which will probably follow a straight line from, Alg ers to Timbuctoo, is to bring the tropical products of Central Africa within four or five days of Fiance. The line will'also be of military and strategic importance, as. it will provide a safe route for the transport of troops to the Mediterranean seaboard. The line will be about 2250 miles long, without including the lines that already exist. The £IOO,OOO to cover the preliminary expenses will be provided from the French, Algerian, Moroccan, and Tunisian and the Paris-Lyons-Mediterranean, the Paris and Orleans, and the Southern Railways will also contribute £BOOO each.

v-The Government' proposes to give free land to colonists as soon as the rich country on .the other side of the Sahara has been opened up. Parliament is expected to approve the project without any opposition, and the investigations to ascertain the. best routes will begin next October.