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University Daily Kansan Tuesday, March 22.1960
Russia to Help Egypt Start Work on World's Hugest Dam
By Donna Engle
Construction of the Egyptian Aswan High Dam began Jan. 12. When completed, the dam will be the world's largest, holding a man-made lake 400 miles long.
The first stage of the dam will be financed by a Russian loan of $100 million (which the United Arab Republic government accepted after the West failed to lend financial backing). The UAR is seeking Western backing for the second stage.
A. Abdul-Rahim, instructor of civil engineering from Damascus, UAR, has studied the construction of the huge dam from both an economic and an engineering standpoint.
The dam will be located five miles above the older Aswan Dam, which is 400 miles south of Cairo. It will be built in two stages over a period of nine years by a manpower force of 20,000.
In an interview, Mr. Abdul-Rahim said economically, the problems of the Egyptian sector of the UAR are based on three interacting elements: (1) the rapidly growing population (2) the limited arable land area (3) the needs for industrial development.
"The population of the Egyptian sector has more than doubled during the last sixty years. The cultivated land area has increased by only 6.6 per cent in the same period.
"The present government of the Egyptian sector is the first in her history to consider the economic problems and the standard of living with seriousness and immediate action. It has promulgated laws for new land ownership and for a long term of economic policy based on three items: (1) the increase of arable land to its greatest extent by making use of the surplus of water every year (2) the improvement of land productivity (3) the creation of more opportunities for employment by building up industries based on cheap fuel," the instructor said.
In order to establish a decent minimum standard of living, the Egyptian sector's government began to execute a number of projects, the most important of which is the Aswan High Dam, Mr. Abdul-Rahim commented.
"The Egyptian sector is perhaps the only country in the world which owes its existence to a river. The Nile River represents the real wealth of the country. But the erratic changes of its
capacity hold a potential danger. While it reaches more than 35 billion cubic feet per day during the flood season, it comes down to 1.5 billion cubic feet per day in early summer.
"For centuries the Egyptian sector has tried to harness the Nile. The idea of building the Aswan High Dam is not new. An attempt to begin construction was made during the Farouk regime. The blueprints were eventually buried in the dusty drawers of the Ministry of Public Works, however," he commented.
When the dam is completed in 1969, it will be 365 feet high, compared to 726 feet for Hoover Dam in the United States. Its storage capacity will be over 105 million acre feet, compared to about 31 million acre feet for Hoover Dam.
The dam itself will consist of a big rock-filled block across the river. The length of the dam will be 16,400 feet (3.1 miles), compared to 1,244 feet for Hoover Dam. The width of the dam will be 3,960 feet, compared to 660 feet for Hoover Dam, instructor Abdul-Rahim explained.
"The ten billion kilowatt hours of electricity generated annually by the dam will reach Cairo at a cost of about one-half cent per kilowatt hour. The abundance of cheap electricity will economize on fuel oil consumption."
"The Aswan High Dam project will improve on the benefits of the Aswan Dam electrification project. The equal balance of water between the two dams will insure an annual electric power which will not be subject to changes in water level," he commented.
Economically, the dam will have far-reaching effects, Mr. Abdul-Rahim said.
"The dam will double the output of the fertilizer industry, which is considered as an essential industry for the country. It will help the expansion of cultivation by more than two million acres which is about 30 per cent of the present cultivated area."
"It will guarantee the water requirements for the whole area under cultivation in the years of low supply. It will make possible the cultivation of 40,000 additional acres of rice annually."
"It will be a complete protection against floods. It will improve the navigation conditions. It will increase the annual UAR government income by about $65 million," he said.
Around the Campus Bacteriologists Loan Executives To Convene Here To Hear Pritchard
About 150 bacteriologists from four states will convene here Friday and Saturday.
The Missouri Valley Branch of the Society of American Bacteriologists, with representatives from colleges and universities in Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas, will hear 34 scientific papers read and discussed.
Ordering Date Set April 2 for Seniors
The deadline for ordering senior commencement announcements is April 2. Orders for the announcements can be placed at the Kansas Union Book Store.
Activities will begin at 9 a.m. Friday. Registration and all the sessions will be in Bailey hall. A banquet will be given in the Kansas Union.
Covers for the announcements come in leather, imitation leather and white cardboard. A picture of the campanile is on the leather and imitation leather covers.
The announcements will be ready for delivery in May.
An internationally known British geologist will visit the University April 4-9.
He is Stevenson Buchan, chief geologist of the water division of the Geological Survey of Great Britain. Buchan is making a three-month tour of American universities. He is one of four participants in the "Visiting International Scientist Program" of the American Geological Institute.
Faculty Meeting Set
The meeting of the college Faculty scheduled for March 15, will be held at 4 p.m. today in Bailey Auditorium. Topics will be the limitation on "professional" work, and ways to allow students time for review before final week.
The savings and loan executives are members of the nine-state Southwestern Savings and Loan Conference to be held in Oklahoma City. Prof. Pritchard's topic will be "The Nature of Commercial Bank Competition."
Students Win Money
Leland J. Pritchard, chairman of the department of economics, will address approximately 450 officers and directors of savings and loan associations today in Oklahoma City.
Conference representatives will attend from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska and New Mexico.
English Geologist Visits KU April 4-9
Ronald Johnston, Anthony junior;
Carol Hume, Oak Park, Ill., junior;
Jan Lundgret, Lawrence junior and
Miriam Jenkins, Kansas City, Mo,
 junior, won $16, $14, $10 and $10
respectively in a coloring contest
sponsored by Bailey Wall Paper Co.
of Cleveland, Ohio.
BLACKSTONE TORT
campus character:
Pride of the law school, Blackstone has never lost a moot trial. But there's nothing moot about his preferences in dress. He finds that when he's comfortable, he can trap a witness and sway a jury like Clarence Darrow.
So he always wears Jockey brand briefs while preparing his briefs. Exclusive Jockey tailoring gives him a bonus of comfort he gets in no other underwear. Fine Jockey combed cotton is more absorbent, smoother fitting, too.
Tolookyourbest,feelyour best,take a tip from Tort. Always insist on Jockey brand briefs,$1.25. Your campus store has them now! COOPER'S INCORPORATED - KENOSHA.WIS.
Shop at Carl's for all Jockey brand products
905 Mass.
VI 3 - 5353