Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-09-04
MERCHANTS
COME TO BURLINGTON
Leroux Brothers to Inspect Plant
of Vermont Milk Chocolate
Company While Studying Man.
ufacturing and Business Meth
DDS in the United States

Two noted Belgian merchants. Joseph
Leroux and Lucien LerouX, heads of
the firm of Leroux Brothers, the larg-
est firm of importers and exporters in
Belgium, located at Avenue Louise
Brussels. to-day will inspect the plant
OF the Vermont Milk Chocolate com
pany, from which they have purchased
n large amount of chocolate In the
last few months. These two brothers
arrived in Burlington last evening and
are stopping at the Hotel Vermont
They are on tour of inspection in
America to get Ideas for building up
the manufacturing interests in their
much prosecuted but never defeated
Belgium. This Is the first trip Of these
brothers to America.
Tall, dark complexioned, stalwart in
build, serious of contenance, dressed
in the height of fashion. the Leroux
brothers might easily pass for Amer
leans. Thy speak very good English
for men who have been In this coun-
try for so short a time. They landed
in America about Is days ago and
have been inspecting plants in New
York and Boston, having recently in
spected the plant of the Massachusetts
Chocolate company.
From here the Leroux brothers will
go to various places in New York and
later will visit Chicago and other large
cities in the United States to study
the best manufacturing plants Of the
country and learn how they are car
ried on and upon what the success of
the business depends. Lucien LerouX
will remain in this country about two
months, while Joseph Leroux will re-
main longer to make more thorough
Investigations. These visitors are
brothers of Lieut.. Jules Leroux, who
visited Burlington during a trip to
America last May.
Belgium needs advanced ideas in man.
ufacturing and business methods to
counteract the great blow which her
trade has received through the war,
according to the Leroux brothers. and
as representatives of the manufactur-
ing interests of their country. they
have come to the United States to got
the ideas which they need to put Bel
GUM back on her feet industrially.
America means to the people of Bel
GUM the most advanced and up to date
methods of doing everything, and so
they want to see just how are doing
things over here. The brothers assert
that they have been very much Inn
pressed with American ideas of hus-
tie, push rapid building, quick think
ing, high powered speed in everything.
all so much different from Belgium and
other European countries. 1t will be
the purpose of the brothers. so they
say. to take this American atmosphere
Of rapid fire industry back to their
own country and incorporate it into
their own industrial life. in order that
Belgium may come forward with leaps
and bounds In the next few years.
Not only has the great Industrial
life of America excited the admiration
and wonder of the visitors. but the
scenic beauty of the White Mountains,
through which they passed on the way
from Boston, has charmed them. They
expressed themselves last evening as
very much surprised at the scenic
beauties of this section of the country.
The white Mountains are as fine
as Switzerland in their scenic beauty"
was the expressed opinion of both the
LerouX brothers. They declared that
they had never thought of America as
having such wonderful beauty spots
and especially such splendid mountain
views and great summer resorts 1t
was all n source of wonder and pleas
ure to them, and they insisted that not
even In the Alps had they seen any
thing more beautiful.
The Leroux brothers came to Bur
lington with Mr.. and Mrs. w. w. Cum
mings of Boston, through the White
Mountains by automobile. Mr.. Cum
mings is vice-president of the Massa-
chusetts Chocolate company