El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-12-16
Costs Is Percent More To
LiUe In France Now Than
-Four Years Ago.
LACK OF CANALS
HELD RESPONSIBLE
RiOalry OF Railroads Pre-
tented Carrying Out Plan
To Give Relief.

- AIRS. France. Dec. I5-Nothing
~ has awaited to check the increase
- Of the cost OF living in France.
Bread only has escaped the tendency.
Everything else considered, it costs at
least 20 per cent more to live in France
"S'day than it did three years ago.
War, OF course. is the first explans-
ton. but economic experts declare that
difficulties OF transportation and high
freiehts for the chief factors and that
these difficulties are due largely TO the
failure Of the government TO have ever
carried out the projects for interior
navigation which were urged by de
Treycinet, Baudin and Audiffred. years
ago. In the opinion Of these same
economic authorities the failure OF
France 10 realize these canal projects
has been response bic for her anomalous
position in the WOrld-carry trade
Nearer Markets Than Antwerp.
Although some 200 TO 500 miles near
e. America and from 200 10 1000 miles
nearer the extreme Oriental markets
than Antwerp or Hamburg. the French
port Of Marseilles before the war was
surpassed by those Of Belgium ana
German ports in central European
trade 10 the Orient. while Bordeaux
Havre and other French Atlantic ports
were far behind them in trade with the
two Americas. The marvellous internal
organization Of navigation and trans
portation in Belgium and Germany en-
abled them TO drain toward their ports
nearly all the foreign bound traIflc
Of central Europe, though lenSthening
the route and increasing the time OF
6;ene1a. for instance. is further from
arl-rvarn than It is from Bordeaux YET
a. 1872 Bordeaux received almost moth
ing from Switzerland while antwerp
Received $1,000 tons 10 De shipped %
is longer route TO European ports IN
the same year Bordeaux received allu
forwarded TO Geneva only 900 tons
1rbfIe Antwerp was a way station Tor
1900 tons going into Switzerland
The new necessities created by the
war. however. made BordeauE the port
for 20 600 tons OF cotton and gram anu
other commodities en- route TOT SWtt1eI /
land in 1913. Economic authorizes
argue that with proper facilities Tour
wears ago Bordeaux would have re
cefved q lions share Of the l5-O0o tons
OF fngoing and outgoing Swiss traffle
al Tbe Rhine Against the Bhone.
The question is one OF the Ehlne ]
AGAINST the Rhone so far as concerns
central European traffic Tor whlcE
Switzerland acts as a sort OF turn
e-rf-5 and with il are connected in
t5r1af4lv the long discussed projects
of the Rh0ne canal, the canal iron,
Rlarseilles TO the Rhone- and the cara !
Fro-1 the RhOue to the GlrOnus Win
[far-sa7I lies ana Bordeaux as the terInlnl-
: ~ Freycinet and other far-seelne
..f--+ssr7eu who elaborated these canai
SargFarfS fell from pow q DIAf.I -
'--ere realized. but economic authorities
believe that the era Of reconstruction
go The war viii see France turn
fna- first Of all. in the matter OF pubic
IMPROVEMENT, 10 the question OF trans /
portafiCu- -. 3
Two OF the most Important project
Cd vtaterwavs remain 10 De built; one
~ chem lateral TO the khoue VIII con
~fr,ra ffe system from Havre and Paris
10 NarseiIles by way Of Lyons ana
T~ill enable the Rhone TO compete win
s77e Fbine for Swiss trade 10 the Meoi-
terranean- another connecting lne 3
SS7hoDe with the DordoSne-that IS 10 I
~ connecting Lyons and MarselIes
1r-i+t, T2ordeaux-wiu give switzerland {
a shorter route to American ports IMAM +
that by the Rhine ...
T1I-concefved rivalry of the stronger 4
-sII~oad interests is accused Of retarc- J
NC these projects as well as d sn9rtef !
'T-na Hut Of comparatively greater I'M .
torrance. in the north and east con
Tecffus the canals Of the Escaut, the
7ferse. and the CHEERS, and serving as
connecting link between the IRON ana
coal districts .-.4 o.
md the canals built and projected
heen in efficient operation at the be
-frninar Of the war, it is probable that
- you'd have eased transportation
5Ifficulties So as to have kept the cost
= living much nearer normal. they .
I'D ii least have kept coal from go
~ from 30 francs TO $50 francs ton