Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-06
FRANCE EXPECTS
GREAT FOOD SUPPLY
FROM her COLONIES

Paris. June 15.-(Correspondence)-
French colonies and protectorates are
going to furnish France a big part of
the food and raw materials she has
been getting from foreign countries. in
the opinion of Albert Lebrun, deputy
from the department of Meurthe and
Moselle iand former Minister of Col
onles. France also will, he thinks,
furnish q larger part of the things her
colonies buy.
france pays foreign countries about
oO0.000,000 francs a year for Oil pro-
ducing products" he said to a repre-
sentative Of the Associated Press,
while she has in Senegal, on the
Ivory coast, in Dahomey, and Indo-
I China immense resources in these
products that are undeveloped Palm
trees and cocoanut trees grow there
naturally, while the soil is well adapt
ed to the production of peanuts which
produce a comestible oil greatly ap-
preclated not only in France but in
Germany The Germans took 10000
tons OF peanuts from our colony in
Senegal during the first half of 1914
Inc bean that produces castor oil. so
essential to our aviation, also thrives
in our colonies.
of 10000 tons of coffee consumed
in France each year only about 5000
tons come from our colonies, yet our
Congo furnishes plants to renew the
plantations Of the Dutch Indies The
same situation prevails in different dc
grees with regard to cocoa, rubber and
cereals.
ported by France annually, Algeria
furnished 100000. The rest comes
from foreign markets, but we have
splendid tobacco land in West Africa
alongside that on which the Germans
already had developed plantations in
! the kamerun that gave good crops of
/ excellent quality.
France is short of paper: she has
| always been dependent upon Sweden
for pulp. yet the high plateaus Of AL
gera abound with fiber producing
plants and the hillsides of Benin and
/ Cochin China are rich with bamboo
and papyrus that ought long ago to
nave been utilized by our paper max
ers. Pulp mills there could not only
fufnlsh what we require, but could
export large quantities to foreign
countries, thus helping our exchange.
France imports 305300 tons Of cot
ton year, four f1fths from the United
states and the rest, excepting a few
hundred tons, from Egypt and India.
In the same latitude we have immense
spaces in our colonies where cotton
grows unaided in its wild state; it
needs only little help to develop into
an important production.
THE jute and fax Of Tonkin and
West Africa are used in primitive
ways by the natives to make nets.
cordage and hats. Systematic i'm :
provement in the cultivation of those
regions would bring an important re-
source to France.
There is nothing our colonies pro-
ouce that we cannot utilize to the best
advantage, yet France did only forty
per cent of the trade of our colonies
excluding Algiers, Tunis and Morocco.
IN 1913; two and one -half per cent of
their trade was between themselves.
the rest. about fifty seven per cent was
with foreign countries. Germany and
austria were rapidly increasing their
snare of 1t before the war. Their trade
was 30,000,000 francs in 1907. If had
grown to 100000 francs a year in
1912. Germany's trade was the largest
of all; in some of our colonies. Da
honey for instance, coming even be-
fore that with France.
France has the second colonial do
minion Of the world, comprising in
1914, 100000 square miles, inhabited
by more than 100000 persons.
Their general trade had reached
100000 francs year. or about one
fifth of that Of the mother country. in
1913. During the war they had been a
great aid to the home country in the
furnishing Of oils, cereals, WOOL rice.