Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-07

done: There are now $500 boats At
':Now let rs modernize." said the
authorities-
Bowed to country's Needs.
In time Of peace this process must
have been developed slowly. The
Frenohman 10 an individualist to the
bottom of his soul He had rather be
his own master with two sous than
be another mans man and have francs
in his pocket. The very quality which
has resulted in wonderful creative
workmanship Of the individual order
has held back the industrial develop
ment Of the country along expansive
lines. But in war everything must
bow to the country's needs. There
were strikes or attempted strikes here
and there. but none of them proved
serious.
Modern unloading machinery was
put in. and the dock capacity was en-
larged. At Rouen there is room for
b sa1s tgs 1. tho fSsse arg
steam cranes Of all typos now. against
1873 before the war. At the docks
10000 tons Of coal can be handled in
the time once required for $1,000 tons.
boats are now at work. compared to
1913 in peace times The in-and-out
freight total at Rouen Is 100000
tons now. against 100000 in 1918. On
the lower Seine $4,000 tons are being
doated each month. against $4,000.
The problem at the seaports was in
finitely difaoult The shortage Of
lockers has been partly made up by
the use Of $1,000 German prisoners,
and by the Importation of Spanish and
Portuguese workmen. Beleians and
some thousands of SeneEalese. Tho
latter have been good workmen. but
too many Of them break down physi-
cally under the continual labor and
On Near Military Basis.
Dock labor is now handled on an al
most military basis. Some ports, such
as that of Marseille. are largely used
to supply the needs of the Swiss,
while the English italian and English
Russian business is to some extent
routed through French ports. and
therefore complexities the situation.
The only key to the problem was in
credible difficulty Of such a task in
war can only be understood by those
who have seen for themselves that
the best Of the young men are always
"culls" are left behind.
So far as possible ships were turned
away from the principal ports to the
secondary harbors. in order to lessen
the congestion. This involved an addi-
tional cost, for the government assumed
al liabilities and paid demurrage
charges on such ships, but it was
forced. The port facilities were every
where enlarged. Eighteen steam cranes
are unloading $500 tons a day near
Bordeaux. where year ago there was
a marshy waste. At Dieppe and Caen
ships were unloaded into wagons be-
cause there was no dock space The
facilities Of these ports have been in
city has been doubled. Havre is ham
ding 100000 tons each month, when
before the war her docks fairly burst
under the strain of 100000. La Pallice
and Pauillac have more than doubled.
Calais Capacity Enlarged.
Calais was hard put to It to take
care Of $4,000 tons'in January, 1915;
but In May Of this year 100000 tons
passed through her gates without I'M
due congestion. St Nazaire has risen
from 100000 in a month to ESQ, 900. In
May, 1915. Dunkirk received rs, 900 tons.
ana IN May. 1915. took In 370.00o-and
bardment for eighteen months. A new
dock has been created at Blaye, where
1000 tons are unloaded daily.
All this has been done In time of war.
statisticians have declared that the
average turnout Of the French work
man In peace times is about 80 per
cent short of the German average. The
french workman had become addicted
to the little drink" habit. He took
his ease. Today. with many of the
strong men gone to the war, the old
men and underage boys and men with
bad hearts and swollen veins and
aching shoulders are doing more work
than their sound and hearty predeces-
sors on the transportation systems did.
One must not forget the women. Those
who have seen women handling trunks
and cases OF goods and oiling trucks
and running switch engines are not
mems work, and doing It cheerfully,
but only the death and birth rates Of
the future will disclose the cost.
Machines From America.
For all the sunny courage with which
these units have tackled their Jobs,
they could not have succeeded II It had
not been for the adaptation of Ameri-
can methods, and to some extent of
American machines. steam elevator
at st. Cloud is in operation ten hours
each day, taking $50 tons of wheat
from barges. sacking, automatically
weighing 1t, and loading it in freight
cars. American-made electric and gaso-
line warehouse trucks and moving
carpets" are to be found in many places
American machines will drag rs, 900, 600
tons of coal out of ship holds this year,
whereas the peace-time maximum was
100000. The Importation of cereals
has been tripled. and, whereas France
imported little cold meat before the
war. she now takes 10000 tons a month.
Not the least important feature OF
this development Is the change in
French psychology" said the authority
quoted. Once these things would
have been resented. just as the spin
ners of Manchester once resisted power
looms. Now we know that the future
of France depends not only on the
issue of this war, but likewise on the
use we make of our commercial oppor-
tunities after the war. We have de-
re-mined to miss no chance"