New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-02-28
GERMANS RUNNING
FRENCH FACTORIES
Plant Crops and Plan to
Make Country Support
Armies.
COMMISSIONS NAMED
TO DIRECT BUSINESS
Years Supply of Wool Taken
from Lille and Sent to
Germany.

German Armies, Feb. Il. War IL
business and the Germans with char
acteristic system and thoroughness arc
proceeding 10 apply business princI-
pies not only 10 'he running Of their
armies but TO the administration OF
the occupied parts Of France and Bel
GUM in order TO keep agricultural and
manufacturing enterprise alive and TO
make the occupied territory contribute
20 the support Of the armies.
Business commissions have been or
gained at various points. The duty
Of these is 20 provide for the contnu-
ancc OF work in field and factory and
10 gather up such supplies as may be
required for jhc use OF the armies or
NAV be available for shipment TO Ger
many. Within a week or two after the
Germans had occupied Liege the great
arms factories there were turning out
ammunition ard arms for the German
armies; coal mines in Southern Bel
gium soon resumed operations for the
account Of the German government
and the commissions have now opened
a wide field Of activity in the rich in
duetrial region Of Northern France.
The problems for the commissions
in Belgium and France were widely
similar In Belgium they were CON
frontad with a superabundance or
labor and lew raw materials; in North
eru France great masses Of raw ma
terjal have been found, but the labor
20 work them up is lacking. Much o.
the Belgian raw material in peace
time. except iron and coal, was i'm
ported from abroad. The markets Tor
the finished products were also abroad,
and could not be reached owing 10 the
war. The problem in Belgium Is,
therefore, to find work for the super
abundant labor supply.
In France, on the other hand, the
mobilization took practically every
able-bodied man into the army, ana
there is a great scarcity OF native
labor in the regions occupied. what
ever work is undertaken there must be
done by women, children and the aged
and infrm, sometimes even by German
soldiers. Some Of the business com
missions there are even discussing
plans for bringing in farm laborers
from Germany.
The occupied region is the richest
part of France. While il contains 81
per cent Of the total area, il has one
sixth OF the population and wealth.
Embraced in il arc 50 per cent Of the
iron and 70 per cent Of coal industries
. OF France. and there are also very
large woollen and cotton industries
here Large supplies of raw materials
for these and other industries were
. on hand, while there was no labor TO
operate the factories. These materials
we're therefore largely taken over by
the Germans and taken to Germany.
From Lille and its vicinity. II is said,
about Sl2j,000, 000 Of raw wool and
woollen yarn was thus cOnhscated and
shipped to Germany an amount equal
10 q full years consumption Of all the
German woollen mills. Rubber in large
amounts was found elsewhere. Coal
mines around Lille arc now operated
by the Germans 70 produce fuel for
the railways in the occupied region.
This strip Of France is a fertile and
highly cultivated agricultural region.
One OF the principal tasks of the bust
ness commissions has been TO provide
for thrashug the wheat crop. Thrash
ing machines were brought in from
Germany ana worked till late into De
cembCr without being able TO thrash
il all. There are still great fields dot
ted with huge stacks of wheat, which
will hardly be thrashed before spring.
The military authorities have taken
over grain, meat, wool and other sup
plies and paid for them in either cash
or with notes collectible after the end
Of the war. This is also their system
i'm taking over food products for i'm
mediate consumption by the army, Ike
meat They did not need TO bring any
meat from Germany itself, II IS SAID,
till toward the end Of last year, haV-
ing lived up to that time upon the
herds of France. The business com
missions have established dairics at
various places and supply the military
hospitals with milk from French cows.
Colts are taken over and sent to Ger
many to be reared for use as army
horses. The commissions imported
about S25O,OOO worth of agricultural
machinery from Germany. Steam and
other motor poughs have been
brought in to prepare the fields for
sowing wheat to ward of the famine
that the British navy is trying TO bring
upon Germany. In the greater part Of
the occupied territory. il is said, some
80 or 90 per cent Of the usual autumn
grain WAS duly planted, and efforts
will be de TO put IN as much spring
wheat as possible.
One special line or work undertaken
bv the business commissions has been
the alienation of life in the trenches
for the German soldiers. Saw mills
have been established, or taken over
to saw lumber and timber for making
bombprcofs. At one place a battery
Of kilns for burning charcoal has been
built; it produces 240 tons weekly.
which is used for heating the subter-
ranean dwellings of the troops, char
coal giving no smoke to bctray the 10
cation of the trenches TO the enemy
artillery. Most of the French stove
Industry was concentrated in Northern
France; the German shelters are
therefore we'll heated. A sugar fac
torv has 5cen converted into an al
cohol distillery; the product is used
in the trenches for preparing coffee
and other hot drinks. Provision -
also made for lighting the bombproots.
For this purpose an electrical general
ing olant has been established IN a
cave; and now the soldiers in trenches
only few yards distant from the
enemy can spend their off hours with
annie light for reading, or playing
games.
,ttahTCnfII C0MIiI TIMh 7 IM