The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-02-10
FRENCH COLONIES
GIVING GREAT AID
They Are Adapting Themselves to the
War Conditions in Europe Remark
ably Well and More of Them
Are Wanted.

| Paris, Feb TO-. Sixty tall Kabyles
mountaineers from eastern Algeria, de-
scendants from the hardy and redoubt-
able race of Berbers, have lent a useful
hand to the solution of the Paris street
cleaning problem.
Garbage boxes that are now set out
Of doors in some quarters as early as 10
o'clock in the evening, to the damage of
great many shins in dimly lighted
streets, are encountered in other quarters
as late as o'clock in the afternoon, all
ON account Of the lack of help. Paris
thus has been enjoying II hours of con
tinuous contemplation of city refuse that
is stirred, shaken and overturned in the,
meantime for rags, paper and bones.
The kabyles have done so well toward
remedying this situation that 800 more
of them will be utilized in the work.
There are now 10000 of our people
working in France for the national de-
fense" says 81 Salah ST Ahmed, caid or
governor OF the Douar Maatkas of Til
0uzou in Labylie. Neither the climate
81 Salah was sent BY the 1000 inhabi-
tants of his Douar to tell the French
government that it may count upon them
for anything it wants.
The experiment of Algerian help in the
field and factory in France have been
great success, These men, particularly |
those from the mountain regions. have |
endurance. are very indus |
trious and easily contented. They are |
working alongside other Mussulmen from |
Morocco and Tunis, while a great many
others are in the ranks of the Algerian
.ihemen at the front They have proven
| great deal more effective than the
in this climate; they have
hown quite taste for farming, have
earned quickly the use of machine tools
n factories, and their apprenticeship in
work has perhaps been the
,reatest success of all.
The Annamites from the French colony
# Indo- China, also unskilled, have been
uiek to learn and are probably more
astidious in their work than the Ka-
'yles; as CLEANERS in the harvest field
asst summer, they were said to have
ever overlooked a spear.
The Moors are better fighters than
hey are farmers, yet they are taking to
gTiculture and French observers who
re watching the experiment look to the
esult of a most beneficial influence upon ,
he future agricultural development OF
Torroceo.
The question was raised in the Cham
er of Deputies recently as TO what s
Implications might develop from the {
resence of so many colonial laborers in $
rance at the end of the war. The gen h
raj sentiment was that no apprehension e
eed be entertained on this score, and n
rat it was even less menacing than the s
,rmidable extension of the use of wom
q in mechanical labor. The kabyles. o
ldo Chinese and AloOrs, il is held. will, &
tier they have laid up little money, c
: glad enough to go back home where s.
leir savings will enable them to play
lie "nabob."
Nearly every ship arriving from Alge-
a now brings more OF the kabyles, who
e more and more counted upon 10 solve
lie question of labor. They are taller
IAN the average Algerian, with features
sembling somewhat those of the peas
ITS of central France. They are not
inform in complexion, some being dark
ID some light, with fair hair. Their
nguage is the Berber, although they
e the Arabian letters. The possibili-
IS of the experiment may be judged
Dm the fact that kabylie is the most
pulous part of north Africa, having
inhabitants per square mile.