The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-05-29
BOOTY TAKEN BY GERMANS
Northern France Stripped of $780,.
100000 in Textile Products.

-
Three hundred million dollars lost
by the textile industries of northern
France in raw materials and mannfae
tured products taken by the Germans
as booty of war-that is the estimate
given to the Associated Press at
Paris by an authorized member OF
the most influential textile corpora
ton in France, and authority on in
dustrial subjects.
What the total loss. including dam
ages TO plant and to buildings, may
amount to, there are no indications,
OF valuable machines to Germany
have not been confirmed The above
estimate is based on confirmed facts
only In more than bears out the es-
innate of the German publicist, Lud
wig Ganghofer, who, after a visit to,
the German front. told the Munchner
Neueste Nachrichten that the war
booty sent from northern France 10
Germany in the form of cereals. sug-
ar, metals, wood, leather, etc,
amounted to FIVE hundred million dol
lars during the first six months of
the war. 1t is supposed that his
figures were based on the requisi
ton price. said 10 be very inferior TO
the market value! On the latter basis
the actuiaftotai would be far in ex-
cess OF the German figures: the esti-
mate for tile textile industries alone
would sonihdfcatel
II is known that the Germans took
nearly all the raw material and nm
ished goods in the great wooden man
ufacturing centers of lie Coteau, Rou-
baix and Tourcong, where America
buys heavily of the finer wooden fab
RIGS They also emptieh the linen
factories, with the exception OF these
at Armentieres, where they were
driven back too soon, and at Lille.
where they have recently begun to
requisiiion these products.
The territory occupied by the Ger
mons contains more than so per cent
Of the wooden and linen industries of
France; the consequence is short
age of all these products. The army
is seeking hundreds of thousands of
yards OF canvas for tents these indus
tries are unable to supply Cotton,
tried as substitute, proved unsatis-
factory.
"The financial problem resulting
from this state of things according
to this authority, will require most
serious study after the war A com
mercial and industrial activity. such
as we have never seen, will be Wit
messed in France, but the setting in
motion again the industrial machine
will be attended with great difficult,
ties. One manufacturer in the occup
led territory has lost raw material
and finished goods TO the value of
five millions to ten million francs.
The banks had advanced him half
million francs. The security for that
advance is gone. That man will say
after the war; 4 am not played out.
want to put my industry on its feet
again, but where will he find the
means. since he has already hanging
over him a debt of half million francs
and the goods that secured it are in
Germany? 1t is serious problem,
but it will be solved.
Another great difficulty is in the
restoration of our plants, the replac-
ing of our machines. Under existing
conditions it seems likely that it will
take two years for machine construc-
tors to furnish what we shall require.
Perhaps we shall have to call upon
the American ingenuity to help us in
working out the difficult problems,
but they will be solved, for never was
the spirit of our manufacturers and
workers so strong as today"