Arizona republican., 1917-01-26
FRANCE READY TO COOPERATE
 WITH TIE J. ].
LRepubLean A. ?. Leassd Wrel

lEepubhtan A. p. Leased Wire
 PiTTSHURG. Pa, Jan. -i-W w. Nichols. who was chairman of the United States lndustcial commission to France, in an address before the focrth National Foreign Trade con Vention here today spoke of the work of the commission and reviewed in d general way the industrial rcconstruc- ton in Europe which is 10 follow the ending of the war
 If the commission he said, dis covered one thing beyond question. II was the willingness of France to CO., operate with a people she understands in order to establish. on a sure fOun- dation, true commercial reciprocity.
 Continuins. Mir Nichols said:
 "We have many evidences of this desire and believe that none but our selves may destroy the opportunity offered us. A right treatment of this opportunity, we feel. will have po- tent effect upon Dumping and similar measures destined to limit. if not de- sJroy, our trade abroad according to the theories of the present day It WaIlt also modify such theories as. for example. the one which predicts an injury to result from the sale of our labor saving machinery to future competitors 10 strengthen their com petition.
 France will require long time credit and so much of it that it must concern -he tanker. who will. as usual. place bis own estimates on the per soraI character of the applicant
 If w2 are agreed that we are equally willing to enter into Franco American reciprocity. according to which we purchase freely from France 80 that France may purchase largely from us, then We are ready to con slider the character of the demand in this prospective reconstruction. France looks to us as the superior eXploiter of labor saving machinery to help her to deal with what she eX- poets to be the most difficult place oI her reconstruction nameIc to find adequate means to offset 3 great de ficiencv in her formal manual labor. i She estma tes this deficiency will ac- tually be l5000 0e0 men. and to this must he added serious imDahment oi effective personal service by the loss of limb. sight or other sense France ] is SO impressed with the gravity oi this sitration that at the outset this constituted the principal reason given i for our commissions visit
 . What the requirements of this par ] ticular will be no estimate Tt this ] time can foretell. It is believed. how l ever. that in the replacement cf tex i tile machinery alone between S75, i GOO 000 and S191 0o0, 000 will have to he i expended l. is figured that $500. eco. 1 coo will be required for the replace i ment of industrial property in the l French War zone alone"
 That the loss of public and private property in the European theaters oI war represents a value of $5.9S5, 900. i 900 is the estimate contained in [ i report of an inquiry made by tho Ma tional Foreign Trade council Tn, estimate g frankly described a. merely approximation. the source. | of information being official Euro pean goveinmon, reports, trade anC industrial journals, etc. The re 1 port says. in part, of Belgium ant northern France:
 The destruction of private dwell ings is large where fighting has takei plare. but much is left that can .b' used in rebuilding. Road repair vii form a heavy item in budgets o smaller villages.
 "fhc destruction of bridges can b, regarded as complete in every fightin, zone. Railroad tracks have been part ly destroyed. but much has been re paired for the use of the army ant tiNl DOIJAltittoI
 "The greatest enemy of industria property has not been military opera tion. but enforced idleness of machin cry ard buildings. The destruction 0 stocks of raw materials was extensive Germany has removed part of the ma
 Chinery and equipment of certain Bel
 gium plants to Germany to obtai
 certain raw materials like copper o
 to furnish German plants with addi
 tional machinery
 industries cannot return with peac
 at once to full operation. Neithe
 Belgium nor France will ~immediatel
 require all raw materials, machiner and industrial building to be replaced
 Conditions will be somewhat differen
 however in agricultural district
 where production has been continued ! Fields must be worked immediatel
 the owners return. Agricultural ma
 chinery, seeds and building materi;
 will be in immediate, demand.
 | After the Balkan war, it took ar
 proXimately one year to rebuild des
 troyed villages. It will require longe
 in Belgium and France, because
 labor losses not replaceable frol neighboring states. Industrial re
 building will occupy more time. Man
 new industrial buildings in mortimer
 France and Belgium may consist
 temporary structures. the total eS
 pcnSe of which most likely will nc
 be more than one third the total valu
 of the former buildings. The immt
 diate needs of the two countries dul
 ing the first scar after the war ma
 he as follows: Horticultural building
 Belgium $50.00000O ard France $50 QAh