The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-04-22
GERMANY HOLDS HALF
. OF INDUSTRIAL FRANCE
And One-tenth Of the Latter's
Population Says National
Geographical Society.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., April 81
The Importance of the five per cent
of French territory held by <<e Ger
mans is strikingly set forth in q
statement given to the press today BY
the National Geographic Society. ~
shows that while it is comparatively
small in area it is very large indeed
in industrial and agricultural import
ance 1t says:
Holding only about j i, 900 square
miles OF French territory, or lesu'
than one-twentieth Of continental
France, the Germans have behind
their advanced lines nearly one-half5
uf Industrial France and the homes
H OF one-tenth of it's population. Pas
de-Calais, Norti. Aisne. Ardennes.
Meuse and Neutrality-suspicious. Of
which the Germans hold all or the
larger and most important parts, are
the banner departments Of France, "A
which are the pride. the wealth and
the strength Of modern France. In
this strip under German occupation.
there is produced 20 per cent OF aNt
coal mined in France, SO per cent
nf: all the native mined iron, and near
~ half Of the republics output OF
manufactured articles.
Great Iron Industry.
.sThe iron and steel Industry of
the great republic lies entirely back
or the German trenches. France
stood fourth among the nations OF
the world as a producer OF iron and
steel with an annual prod uction OF
500 900 tons OF pig iron and o.
try was conferred and contained in
Northern France, for here were the
raw materials The Flemish coal
basin, extending into the Nord and
Pas-de=Calais where 100000 miners
were employed. pr duced GO per cent
OF the coal mined in France, and,
practically, the country's entire sup
ply Of fossil coal. The iron mines of
the Meurthe-et-A1 oselle furnished 81
per cent Of the total output Of iron on
and this region was reckoned as one
OF the principal iron-pr oduclng re
Eions OF the world.
4 5sa With the French and Belgian
iron and coal fields in their posses
sion. the Germans would have al
most a monopoly 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 conditions set in. the
United States produced annually
100000 tons of steel, Germany p
800, 900 Great Britain 6.040 1000, A
France 8 100000 and Belgium A.
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 inter
est attaches to the small strips of for
eirni lands back OF the German lines.
THE Nord department. all but
few square miles OF whose coast I
lands is in tho possession OF the en-
envy. is in agricultural and Indus
trial imp the first department
OF France. In this Department and
the departments Of the Pas-de Calais.
Meuse and Meurthe-et-Moselle are
the great metal working plans OF
the French. the huge Pittsburg and
Cleveland mills. foundrtes, and ma
chine works or that country In these
departments further. is a great part
Of the land IS texti1e ind ustry. the tcot-l
ton. wooden and linen weaving. theil
Working Of lace and EN- broidery. the.
weaving of carpets. and dEeing.f Il
Flour mills, brick kilns. stilleries-
glass works. pottery works. shoe and
hat factories. tobacco factories. and
large plans for the production of
hardware, ename1ed iron hol1 low ware
and edge tools are strewn5 throu gh |
.A5A5 &c e. AA ~ AA5 AB,Il
sA Wat I'll OUR 81
D. " A'.A5.A A.EAl