New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-01-21
INDUSTRIAL FRANCE.
~. poRERr T. PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
% TARIFF COMMISSION.
opovTU OF MANUFACTURES IN HE
NORTHWEST DEPARTMENTS

- ra olsocelebrated for their woO!len hosiery |
nnring the last few years the monopoly Oh ai-"oo
oods has to a great extent Deeh taken ny
a. French and in this eudeaVor' de-
It, the position which Roubaix now
0.cnoies ana the success that has been attained
the people are not content To resi- on INT"
lie Every effort IS being made in the direction
f technical education TO improve the quahty oil the
,.ork done and increase the trade that has already
'aooho1 such splendid proportions. Indeed a few
ars apo Bradford woke up, startled and amazed
., The strides the French were taking in this drec-
tion One good result is new lechnlcsl anu AN
School which was not open when wrote my btao-
fo d letters but which have since visited ana hhu
eonal 70 the Continental schools, though the Eng
ush have not yet had so much experience III TINS III
,oo,;op "a their Continental competitors.
Since 1871 France shows steady increase
in the value of manufactures of wool expor ed ana
drr;bc that period the increase has been from
Cd boo 600 in 1871 to $74.OO0,00O in 1880; an
ircraase of 500 600, OO0 MerinOs are the cher
exnorts to the United States. The imports Oh
wooden goods from England TO France are dechnlhg'
To appreciate the Importance OF lSouoaiA -
necessary to visit the whole surrounding lhousVi'al
region. not only in the Department OF the Nolu'
Int in the adjoining department OF Pas-de-la l7lS'
The combined population of these two departments
;s nearly Q 800 600 the Nord ranging next III polnt
pf
This region is to France what Yorkshire and Lam
.osbire are to England Indeed, if the reader can
;macine q quadrangle with Dunkirk, Mauoeuge'
Beanyais and Harue for the four corners wi'nlu 'u
area he will find the greatest lndus 'rai 'es'"
Frn.e In doing this he takes In the Department
of the Somme part of the Disc and the Selne III,
f6reure increasing the population to over fooo'o'o
and including the great commercial clty oi 'i"I''
+be cotton industry, with Rouen Cor centre
III,
Amiens the cradle Of the cotton MANUFACTURE
in France and now noted for Its c"t'"o
velvets and cotton aud w0ollen yarns beauVa'S
for its carpets and tapestry. as wei as ior ."'
bravery of its women. and a number OF other ILL.,
portant places which space prevents my eAuhle'a-
ting. A.,
principal places of the Department of the Nord, oy
the aid of horse and tap prefe ring the eXceIeht
roads of this part of France to the mOnotony OF the
railway The whole country fairly teens with
small manufacturing towns and villages lAe man
ufactories and the dwelling houses OF the wors'
people sting along the roads sometimes Tor miles,
interspersed with corn-felds, brck-yards meadows
orchards barn yards and windnlllls IL IL lnpoSS-
BILE to tell where town ends and the country oe-
Gins go closely does manufacturing industry keep
along the line of agriculture. The Nord has not me
whitewashed appearance ofFlanders' and dingy req
brick takes the place Of plaster and whitowasb ass
building material Lille has become very important
town and destined before long to he united 10 one
great city, comprising all the surrounding towns
and aggregating population equal to Manchester
IL is now the fifth city of France Already steam
trans run to Roubaix and TOurcoing, which alone
increases its population to nearly 100000 The
main thoroughfare of Lilo reminds one of INC
brilliantly lighted streets of the east end of Lon
don sucb glare at night goods of every descrip-
tion displayed on tho outside Of the shops-tOys,
clothing furniture and cheap jewelry' Here ana
there are Immense bier-has, with lows OF seats on
the broad pavomeuts. Business Is thriving and
crowds are on the streets which IN the new part Oh
the town are broad, well-paved. with avenues OF
trees each SIDE
Thus ismodern Lille with its recent progress and
creot possibilities No city has undergone of late
ye,rs greater improvements than Lille, and yet
mucb of the old quarers Of the city ROMAN. Fltty
wears ago the homes of the working people vi
Lille were described in the report OF COM
mission to tue municipal council IN the following
Words 80 - A., 1or;,cs NJ
onr workinr-cla~ses without seeing them through
the state of Indifference and dcnora'izaloh III
which they live They bring themselves INTO CON
dition of dreadful and de IDLY misery IN thtlr
dark underground dens. in their rooms wlicI nllgh'
6a +atcn for ce ars he atmosphere. however lOath-
- - ,nvor chanTc1 The walls are covered with
filth The beds. when there are any, CONSIST OF
dirty nlanks covered with dam and putIid straw.
hidden under a layer of dirt, resembles sieve III
texture The furniture is mildewed. 6cdauhed ana
broken. The windows, always closed, are pasted
M with paper so blackened and smoked that the
light is unable to penetrate. In some cases inc
windows are nailed up by the proprietor . piefen'
tbe panes of glass from being bro6en by opening
The floor is worse than all, strewcd WIN fuoOish'
filth and cinders. ,.. iii L7,
streets and fine blocks wi comfortable homes for
its working people built for miles along every road
that enters the town, aud even extending into the
very grain fields has not been such an easy progress
as that of the new towns " out Vest unretarded
as they are by the dreadful remnants of miserable
condition of affairs. Then this region Of France
now throbbing with Industrial activity, was con-
tent 20 he considered an agricultural country and
then Icss than 100000 tons of coal was mined
from mines that now yield 10000, 900 tons.
The road from Lille TO RonbaiX is characteristic
of the whole country. Leaving the wel-fortitied
town one is surprised TO find that for mile OF two
he passes rows of good dwelling houses-Small' to
be sure. but clean outside, fairly comfortable IN
side and generally with white curtains and plants
III the windows. Then, perhaps, comes reich OF
country. followed by some old brick farm-houses
rows of workInen's houses of red brick with white
stripe round the door-frame white sash, white
blinds and white curtains. All have gardens. Next
VIII come a of neat little shops. In the vicinity
OF large factory had waved field Of rye. but the
ground was being prepared for next years crop.
Tall trees. hedges, autumn wild bowers. orchards
laden with ripening pears and apples met the
eye all sides as drove through the manufacture
ing town of Lannoy, noted, should say for the
tanesS and naTrowness of its doors and windows
aud for the variety of shades those doors and win
dows were painted. Indeed, one would suppose the
dwellers in Lannoy were attenueted giants, ana
that having built their doors and windows to &C
cord with their STATURE they then decided to call
attention to the fact by painting them black, bright
red maroon, pink light green and yellow. -
The men m Oh these excursions generally