The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-09-01
FRANCE WILL
 REBUILD 5000
 RUINED TOWNS Large Cities Outside War Zone to be "Godmothers"
 of the Stricken. EXPOSITION
 SHOWS PLANS Company Offers to Build a Village for $2O,62O. sys- tenn of Indemnifcation

Q
 tenn of Indemnifcation France has made preparations for | the reconstruction of the towns and | villages of the northeast, almost 5000 in number, destroyed or seriously dam aged by the German invasion. The | large French cities which were un- touched by the war have undertaken to act as "godmothers'' to the stricken | towns and communities Lyons is hready to give maternal care to Lille, when that afflicted city shall have re- ! turned to the possession of France. The famous Arts and Crafts Col lege in Lille, obliterated from that city by the Germans, is being reorgan- ized in Lyons, and at the favorable hour will be restored to Lille. Paris will be the godmother for multitude of towns.
 Several cities are bidding for the honor of having Verdun as a foster child, as the great fortress city, though not captured, is badly wrecked, and Marseilles may be successful in this regard. Arras may be allotted to un touched Dijon, which has gathered in many refugees from that war-wrecked city.
 Meantime an exposition is being held at which great building and contract ing corporations of France have pre- sented models of new towns and will lages which they will undertake to erect in a given number of days for fixed sum of francs and centimes. Where nasty construction is needed 1vy Wi selected variety of plans being de- termined upon in view fo the varied conditions of the centres of population to be replaced. A certain quantity of the quick construction work probably will be needed even in towns only partly destroyed, as the refugees are anxious to return to the sites of their homes at the earliest possible moment. More permanent structures can later on be put up at leisure.
 One of the touching sights describ- ed at the Paris reconstructed city" exposition is the crowd of refugees from the invaded region who go there Many of them shed tears at the thought that these new model struc- lures are to take the place of the quaint, irregular buildings that have
 
 for generations
 Problem of Labor.
 Important considerations is given to the fact that immediately after the war there will be so much building to be done that labor will be exceedingly scarce and it will be necessary for the time being to be content, in many places at least, with makeshift struc- lures until sufficient numbers of work ingmen can be found to attend to the building of solid houses. The facto- ries and the Government works will make a severe demand on the avail able labor of the country. Arrange ments are already being considered for importing large numbers of Italians and Spaniards to assist in the recon struction work.
 Many of these will follow the ad- vance of the French on the Somme front, as it is the purpose of the Gov ernment to restore conditions as rap idly as possible.
 Portable three-room houses are shown at the exposition which can be erected by four men in six hours, and two-room houses which can be erect ed in three hours, by the same num- Der of men. One contracting com pany offers to construct a village, com posed of a communal hall, a church, a postofnce, a covered market, ten shell ters, five 3,0O0-franc houses, ten 4,00O- franc farms, a public dwelling house and dormitory for ten men and an- other for ten women, for 103,0OO francs ($20,62O). A similar village erected in better fashion, and with su- perior material, will cost 195,000 francs.
 Other companies undertake the i'm stallation of light and power, of water supply, of sewage system, at moderate prices Still other concerns will con- tract for the erection of hygienic es- tablishments and of schools, and for the drainage and sanitation works needed in the war-swept country. The whole question regarding choice of structures to be erected and means of finding the funds and the labor with which to build them is in" the hands of an interministerial committee, of | which, besides representatives of the State departments, prominent person. ages of the political, financial. indus | trial, commercial, scientific, and ar tistic world of France form part. This | committee has not decided whether the reconstruction of towns and the renovation work generally are to be
 intrusted to private corporations, or | whether the Government itself may
 take charge of the entire work and
 mobilize the building and contracting
 companies to operate under Govern | ment control
 The Minister of Finance has prepar- ed a bill regarding the indemnification l of the war victims of the invaded ter
 ritory and it has already met the ap- proval of the chief committee of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, and is expected to become law during the present month. Especial jurisdic- | tion will be created to decide on the | damages to be awarded and procedure
 will be without expense. A series of l commissions is established for the pur
 pose with right of appeal finally to the Court de Cessation, the Supreme Court | of Appeals.
 System of Indemnification. Where revaluation has established | that, on account of depreciation of property, the reconstruction of a new l ci, 1or I,,i1 mi a