New-York tribune., 1883-11-05
INDUSTRIAL FRANCE.
BY ROBERT P. PORTER MEMBER ,oF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.
II.
COAL. IRON, STEEL AND WOOLLENS.

LILLE. Department NOIu, IlduCo' SOP'' -
The important manufacturing districts of France
follow closely the large coal-heldS' NO less tn""
tuon+v-6ve Departments produce coal but two
tbrds oftbe total annual production comes from the
noborn coal districts of the Nord and Pas de Calais
and from the basin running southwark through the
Denartments of the Loire, RhOne, Ardeche ana
Cad IN the GuIf of Lyons. In 1882 the production
of coal exceeded that of any former year, nearly
reaching 21 600 600 TONS being less than half the
nroduct of Germany, rather over one-quarter OF
that of the United States, and less than onese'eht
of the total product of Great Britain Ihe great
northern coal fields of France were discovered Dy
cborco in 1917 after many vain attempts had
rrircd ono sceker after another. The coal mines OF
ST Etienne which are part OF those OF .the hecohu
great field of France, were known as early as INC
eleventh century, but not worked to any extent
until the Revolution. St. Etienne is now largo
TOWN trees are black, roads are black men, women
aud children are black; but at night its furnace
fires give il n lurd glow and a certain picturesque
moss To the mines of st. Etiennc France owed her
first railways \ few rich and powerful companies
own nearly all the great northern coal fields. FOR
instance. the Amin Company works coal properly
mora tlon eighteen miles long and six broad ana
epplovs $4,000 men. Yalcncicnncs, in the Depart
meut from which write, once celebrated Tor lace
is now one of the principal coal towns oi TINS
region, while the lace trade has taken iliRht 10
Uaazcbrouck and the ncighboring village oi Ball
Icul Lens Somain, Bcthune and Donai are the
other coal centres of the north France consumed
last year about 10 100000 tons more coal than she
produced.
France is very rich in iron mines, though 1t took
almost prohibitory duty to induce the people to dig
for the ore Brown hcuatitcs are found tocfably
and free from phosphatcs spathoSe ores, red hcma-
titcs and granular ores. The oolitic ores are the
most extensive i'm the country, and the principal
,,i,,as i'm the Department of Mcurthc ct Mosc!ic.
These ores are also worked at Mazaney IN Saone ct
Loire for the benefit Of the Creusot iron works In
1852 f. $50 600 tons of iron ore was consumed III
France 40 per cent of which was imported from
Belgium, Germany Spain, Italy and Algeria. The
brown hcmatitc mines are in many instances SIT
uated in remote regions and yet are but poorly
worked.
The iron manufacturing districts OF France are
not centralized aS in England though the three
most important districts are the Nord group, the
Toire and Rhonc group and the Mo,clc group. The
principal iron works of the first district are Maui
benge, Hautmont, Dcuain, Auzin and Marqui,e.
The Loire and Rhone district Is the largest IN
France and contains the finest aud mO,t extensive
iron and steel works in the countrythat of Crcusot,
which has had similar history during the present
half ccntnry TO the celebrated kTupp works at
Essen. Forty years ago CreuSot was almost nm
known. but to-day it is busy place Of 10000 IN
habitants. all employed in one establishment. Next
70 the works of Herr Kupp the Crcusot are the
largest iron work, i'm the world carried ON by one
proprietor.
Following the second great coal field, described IN
tLc opcuinr of th, letter. finds the Icrrc Noiro
Works. near st. Eticnuc, together with those of La
Voulrc in Ard6che and Er,-rgr, i'm Gard. The
NIo,.Ir. group contain, some very large iron work,
M Taualc and Hayang", though portion of the
iron industry in this direction was lost 10 France
with AlHcr-LoIraiuc. I'm l~~2 France produced
2.O33.0oO tom, of p.sirou, Io'LO'i tons oil
vrought-irJn, and l5l,O13 tons of steel
France j., not particularly rich 90 other mines oA-
cent salt. which is an important industry.
Copper lead, tin and zinc there arc hnt in small
quantities. Besides many important stones for
Luildiur purposes fine quality of potfrr,' clay is
found in Seine off Marine and at Brluyis Disc. II
i, estimated that Ilurr has about 5000 quarIr7
and rl,pIo,, ahout 100 600 worlucu. The quality
of the various clay~ adds go the Importance of Oh"
carhruwarc and porcelain iudusuic, which arc
scattered over the country.
There +, no great cutlery town in France like
sheffield Thrr- employ, about $4,000 persons ~
making knives scissors, razor7, etc; and N"grnt
and Langrc. are given over more 10 the better
grades The heavier article, of hardware are made
in 81. Eticunc Chambou Lille and Fiuuiuy Paris
is the centre for the manufacture Of gold and silver
ornaments for which the French are Justly famous.
Jcwclry, plate aud bronzc-work also employ many
thousand, of artisans, mostly in Paris.
II i, said that at the present time between sixty
five aud seventy thousand persons are engaged ia
the Manufacture of clocks and watches. This in
dnstrv is divided into distinct classes, each of
ptris C,,r init &
the seat of the manufacture of large clocks; 81.
Nichola, dAlirmont near Dcppc, makes pcndu-
INN, for clocks; Cluscs make, puous for watches
while Bcuucun Doub-0 is the seat of the watch
trade. This industry was founded in protective
France by the Swiss To-day 10000 persons aic
employed iu tine town of Br,LucOn and 10000 n
the Department of Doubs. For years France
bought her watches Of Switzerland, but the indus
try was encouraged at home until tho French now
supply the nation they learned the industry of to
the extent of a couple of million francs annually.
lisa matter Of dispute among historian. when
France first began the manufacture of woollcu,
a large scale Some credit the great Minister Col
bert who nour,hcd during the latter part of the
seventeenth century, with obtaining both the skill
and material from England. On the other hand. 1t
is claimed that the wOollcn industry is not less
cicnt in France than in England Indeed some
claim lFrcnchmcn. no doubt that certain cloth
wcavcrs nj Paris first taught the English the art.
Iluct says that the wooden and linen trade began
in France as early 0GO. In 1911 the French sent
into the Low Countries as much cloth as Great
Britain, and before the Dutch and English gained
the Lcyant trade in wOOllcns the French and Vcnc-
tians had it. 1t is probable that during Colbcrt's
time Holland made the superino cloths Of Spanish
wools England the middling and coarser kerseys,
scrgcs, bays, etc, and France the stulls. The OBJ
jcct of Colbcrts policy to mako France less de
pendent on the Dutch for the most costly cloths,
and this he seems TO have attained for the towns
which will be visited in the present study of In
dustrial France, the centres Of the woollcn in
dustry, to-day, were first brought into Importance
by the encouragement given tho manufacturers by