Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-03-03

The occupied region is the richest
part of France While it contains 81
per cent of the total area, II has one
sixth of the population and wealth.
Embraced in il are so per cent of
the iron and 10 per cent of the coal
industries OF France, and there are
also very large WOODEN and cotton in
dustries here. Large supplies Of raw
materials for these and other indus
tries were on hand, while there was
no labor to operate the factories.
These materials were therefore
largely taken over by the Germans
and sent to Germany. From Lille ana
its vicinity, it is said, about $780,
000, 900 of raw wool and wooden yarn
was thus coufiscated and shipped TO
Germany amount equal to fun
years consumption of all the German
wooden mills Rubber in large amounts
was found elsewhere. coal mines
around Lille are now operated by the
Germans TO produce fuel for the rail-
ways in the occupied region.
Thrcshing Machines Imported,
This strip OF France is "a fertile and
highly cultivated agricultural region
one of the principal tasks of the bus
mess commissions has been to pro-
vide for threshing the wheat crop
Threshing machines were brought
in from Germany and worked till late
into December without being able to
thresh it all There are suI great
fields dotted with huge stacks of
wheat which will hardly be threshed
before spring The military authorl-
ties have taken over grain, meat
wool and other supplies and paid for
them in either cash or with notes
after the end of the war.
This is also their system In taking
over food products for immediate
by the army, like meat.
They did not need to bring any meat
from Germany itself, it is said, till
toward the end Of last year. having
lived up to that time upon the herds
of France. The business commissions
have established dairies at various
places ana supply the military hos
pitfalls with milk from French COWS
Colts are taken over and sent TO Ger
many to be reared for use AS army
horses.
The commission imported about
$3.50. 600 worth Of agricultural ma
from Germany steam and
other motor plows have been brought
in to prepare fields for sowing wheat
to ward off the famine that the Brit
ish navy is trying To bring upon Ger
many. In the greater part Of the oe-
cupied TERRITORY i is said, some so
to 80 per cent Of the usual autumn
grain was duly planted, and efforts
will be made to put In as much
spring wheat as possible, Cayalrymen
and the guards of the occupied re-
gion put in their idle hours farming.
For Men in Trenches.
one special line of work undertak-
en- hy the business commissions has
been the alienation of life i'm the /
trenches for the German soldiers
Saw mills have been established or !
taken over to saw lumber and timber |
for making bomb-proofs. At one
place n battery Of kilns for burning /
charcoal has been built it produces /
gao tons weekly, which is used for
heating the subterranean dwellings Of
the troops, charcoal giving no smoke /
to hetray the location OF the trenches |
to the enemy's artillery
Most Of the French stove industry |
was concentrated in northern France; |
the German shelters are therefore |
well heated. A sugar factory has been
converted into an alcohol distllery |
L. 1.rndnnt 10 nend In Tho Irnnohn o |