El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-10-18
Belgium Has
Recovered NO0C
From The War
Little Nation, First to Feel
Onslaught, Back on Peace
Basis Has Abundance.
By h. J. GREENwALL.

Brussels. Belgium, Oct 1s--Bel-
GUM. whose territory was the first
TO feel the merciless strength OF the
mailed fist, is the first country to
recover from the devastation that fol-
lowed in the wake Of war.
This is the Impression have
gathered from the first part Of my
tour through this country. The re-
corery IS all the more remarkable
when one Judges it from the French
standard. because. 10 months after
the signing OF the armistlce. France
rs like a household ia the throes Of
removal Hundreds Of thousands OF
homeless French men and women are
dreadlug the coming OF winter. for
they VIII have no roof 70 shelter them
and very little coal-or none at all
70 keep them warm In France prices
are soaring daily. prOfiteeriug has
become a fine art There Is a malaise
work but they are spending money
needlessJ on luXuries. and under
stand that the same thing IS happen
Ing IN England
Matters are very different here.
Ilere is urac-l callV no night life. the
streets after 1880 are deserted There
are no eccentric fashions. one sees
women decenrly and modestlv clad
Hore trade Is prospecting. the only
ones that are doing badly are the
luxury trades The theaters are
almost empty, and without any blair
Ing Of trumpets or beating OF drums
Belgium has gone dry" The sale
Of alcohol, except in the form Of beer
or vine. is forbidden. Food is
abundant and fairly cheap. A meal
for two people. consisting OF hors
doeuvre. eggs or fish. meat and vege-
tables, sweets and glass ~ beer
AZ one Of the best restaurants IN Brus-
sels can be purchased today for q
France is without sugar or tobacco.
Here there Is sufficient OF the first
commodity 20 sWeenten the sweetest
OF teeth. and enough OF the second to
my lady nicotine But most imDOr-
tant Of all-the people are working.
When one remembers that practically
the whole Of Belgium was at this time
iast year IN the hands OF the foe
the recovery Is almost miraculous
Receutlv 7 had long conversation
with IL Henri Jasp7 I'd. the minister
OF reconstruction. The figures and
particulars he gave me were astound-
ing When America entered the war
the Germans began their systematic
destruction OF the Belgian factories
that were competitors with their
home Industries. but despite all that
the enemy did % ls estimated that
steer NL04 4GANM is now 20 percent OF
normal and iron production 81 per-
cent The greatest damage was done
in Liege and CharleroL There were
$50 factories OF all kinds IN and
around the former city. but there
were five principal steel plants each
supplied with blast furnaces and roll
ing mills. OF % blast furnaces exist
ing in 1914 10 were completely de-
stroyed and nine considerably dam
aged Now there are five furnaces
~ orking, and the production Is So
percent OF what it was in 1914
There were IS rolling mills in the
Liege district in 1914 Twenty nine
OF them were destroyed and three
badly damaged. OF the u remaining
five have already been put into onera-
ton; 1850 men are now employed
there. There were two iron mills
The Germans destroyed the most i'm
portant one Ten pudding furnaces
were also destroyed But the man
aEement have already Dut two pud-
ding furnaces and an iron mill into
I am told cat the greatest indi-
vidual damage was done in the Dug
ree-Marihare works and IN those be-
LONGING 70 the John Cockeriu com
pany.
The Germans were very much
afraid OF the wonderful electrical
plant at the Cockeriu works Despite
everything the Germans did the
Cockerin plant Is getting 70 work
again