Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1915-05-07
IS BEST OF FRANCE
Section Held by Germans Is Of
Vast Importance.
Nearly one.Half Of Industrial France
and the Homes Of one.Tenth Of
the Population Behind
German Lines.

Washington, D. C.-The Importance
of the five per cent Of French terri
tory held by the Germans Is strik1ngiy
set forth in a statement given to the
press by the National Geographic So
ciety. 1t shows that while 1t is COM
paratively small in area 1t Is very
large indeed in industrial and agrcul-
tural Importance. 1t says:
Holding only about 10000 square
miles of French territory, or less than
one-twentieth of continental France,
the Germans have behind their ad'
vanced lines nearly one-half OF indus
trial France and the homes of one-tenth
of her population. Pas-de-Calais, Nord,
Aisne, Ardennes, Mouse and Meurthe-et'
Moselle, of which the Germans hold all
or the larger and most important
parts, are the banner departments or
France. Here are the mines, the foun-
dries and factories, and the diaries
and farms, which are the pride, the
wealth and the strength of modern
France. In this narrow strip under
German occupation, there is produced
20 per cent of all coal mined in France,
80 per cent of all of the native-mined
iron, and nearly half of the republics
output of manufactured articles.
THE iron and steel industry of the
great republic lies almost entirely
back of the German trenches. France
stood fourth among the nations OF
the world as a producer of iron and
steel, with an annual production OF
100000 tons of pig iron and of $780,
900 tons of steel. This industry was
centered and contained in northern
France, for here were the raw mate
rails. The Flemish coal basin, extend
ing into the Nord and Pas-de- Calais
where 100000 miners were employed,
produced 60 per cent of the coal mined
in France, and, practically, the coun-
trys entire supply of fossil coal. The
iron mines of the Meurthe-et-Moselle
furnished 81 per cent of the total
French output of iron, and this re-
gion was reckoned as one of the prin-
cipal on-producing regions of the
world.
With the French and Belgian iron
and coal fields in their possession, the
Germans would have almost a monop-
oily of the iron and steel industries Of
Europe. Germany is now second only
to the United States in the production
of iron and steel. Before war con-
ditions set in, the United States pro-
duced annually 24,50O,000 tons of steel,
Germany 12,300,000, Great Britain g..
100000, France 100000 and Belgium
100000. Germany is third among
the great industrial nations of the
world in the production of coal, and
with the French and Belgian mines
behind her lines might easily equal
the output of Great Britain, second
upon the list. Thus, unusual interest
attaches to the small strips Of foreign
lands back of the German lines.
"The Nord department, all but q
few square miles of whose coast lands
is in the possession of the enemy is
in agricultural and industrial impor.
lance the first department of France.
In this department, and the depart.
ment Of the as-de-Calais, Meuse and
Meuthe-et-Moselle are the great metal
working plants of the French, the huge
Pittsburgh and Cleveland mills, foun-
dries and machine works of that coun-
try. In these departments, further, is
a great part Of the lands textile in
dustry, the cotton, wooden and linen
weaving, the working of lace and EN-.
broidery, the weaving of carpets, and
dyeing. Flour mills, brick kilns, dis.
tilleries, glass works, pottery works,
shoe and hat factories, tobacco fac
tories, and large plants for the pro-
duction of hardware, enameled iron,
hollow ware and edge tools are strewn
through this thickly-populated section
in profusion. In the shops situated
within these departments most of the
French cabinet work is done, and,
here, near by the best fields, much OF
the French sugar is refined.
Moreover, here, where is the great
est industrial developme mt, is, also,
the most intensive agriculture. Neigh
boring Belgians have not brought their
farms up to a higher standard of pro-
duction than has been reached by the
fields of these northern French de-
partments. Everywhere throughout
this region, wher, there are no mines
and factories, smiling gardens and fer
tile, well-cultivated farms take their
place. All of the cereals, sugar beets,
fruits, hops, tobacco, fax and large
droves of cattle are grown upon them.
Some of the best dairies Of France are
in this territory.
THE stretch of bare 10000 square
miles, with its population Of 1900, 900,
it's bounteous agriculture, It's rich coal
and iron mines, land its teeming man.
ufacture, Is one Of the most important
districts in all Europe. Some idea
Of its richness can be had from the
fact that while the average per acre
value for all France Is about $3.50, that
of these northern departments ID
$685."