Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-12-25
FRENCH TEXTILE
MILLS NOW HAVE
10000 employees
Wonderful Recovery Made in
Plants Which Were System
atiCaIly Wrecked BY lnvad-
ers, Says Report.

FpbFffFFAA
Lille, France. Dec. 24--Forty thou
sand persons are at work In the
French textile mills which only few
months ago were razed or looted by
the Germans of their wonderfully deli
cate machinery. The correspondent of
the Associated Press was given the
facts with reference 20 this industry
by French authorities who have ar
ranged a trip to show him the strides
made by the nation in reconstruction.
Within a year, government officials
and manufacturers agree, production
of textiles will reach half of the pre-
war total, and within two years these
men forecast, the 1914 output will be
surpassed.
The wool industry Is said TO be re-
covering most rapidly, with cotton In
second place, Linen weaving Is re-
ported to be slowest because of the
shortage of flax, formerly obtained
from Russia
In Lille and the adjoining towns of
RoubaiX and Turcoing, where the tex
tile manufactures are centered, IL is
estimated, 10000 men, women and
children now are working and approx.
imately 10000 are employed In the
smaller mills of surrounding towns.
Statistics compiled by the govern
ment show that in the Lille district on
October | last there we're 36,3S4 per-
sons working in 1863 textile plants com
pared with 106,066 employed before
the war In 265 factories. In all of the
491 textile mills Of the liberated re-
gion there were employed in August of
this year only 21.027 of the 152,948
persons at work four years ago.
Reconstruction Of the textile indus
try was declared by manufacturers a
few months ago to be almost hope
less task. At least, they said, II would
be so low that France would lose her
world trade In textiles. Now, however,
a brighter view is being taken. Man
ufacturers themselves concede that the
output is at least one-third of that be-
fore the war. All agree that reha-
bilitation Is proceeding more rapidly
each month as the looted machinery is
being returned from Germany or new
installations are coming from Eng
land and the United states.
This industrial recovery has been
made through the combined efforts of
the government and plant owners
against difficulties that appear more
formidable the closer they are exam
ined.
Direct damage to the textile indus
-. is estimated by the ministry of
reconstruction at 20, 900, 900 900 francs.
In this section of France, the heart of
the industry, mills for the most part
were knocked to pieces and the rest
were damaged.
Two out Of every hundred machines
were left intact, packed and tagged for
but were abandoned by the
Germans in their strategic retreat.
Those machines which were not re-
moved were stripped OF all brass and
copper parts and delicate pieces were
requiring months to re"
place.
The labor problem Is not at this
time particularly embarrassing to tex
tile manufacturers. The task of re-
placing the remarkably skilled work.
ers is said to Sc IN Tie wry of a So
luton. because women t'ways were
largely employed and they We're more
I:een than ever for such well-paid
work since many of them are widows.