New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-11-30

TO that Of property III
this has been it does not ihVo''e
rame elements Of suffering ana
n. From a purely statistical
,int. however, the attempt to
me property losses IS the
satisfactory, as it is the most
difficult The destruction and dew
astation in the invaded areas or BEL
o;um France. Russian Poland, Ru-
mania. Serbia, italy and parts OF
Austria are probably incapable OF
exact determination and it may wei
no doubted if the exact losses VIII
over be known. Estimates vary
now by many millions, and some
factors seem to defy any accurate
computation. Agricultural experts
seriously doubt whether the vast
areas of Belgium and France when
have been churned and riddled by
trenches and shell holes, and satu-
rated with noxious gases, chemicals.
liouid fire and other substances
which destroy the productive prop
critics of the soil. can be made fer
tile for many years to come. Ohiy
the most intensive culture made the
great crops possible before the war,
and it well may be that grass will
not grow where the foot of Attlla
has trod." Should time confirm
this hypothesis, the loss will not be
measurable.
Belgium covered $1,000 square
miles, and, with its population of
7.423,7S4, was the most denscly
inhabited country in Europc- frac-
tically the whole area save strip
along the west coast was invaded;
crops were taken, factories denuded
of machinery. mines worked and IN
retreat destroyed; cot; On splndles
confscated or destroyed, and plllage
or wanton destruction systematl-
cally carried out. During the Ger
man occupation heavy levies were
made upon the towns and COM
munes, and in addition TO these
fines and seizures were imposed, IN
all amounting 10 about $1,000
100000. The total property loss
inflicted upon Belgium has been
estimated at between $6.755.000.
600 and 100000, 900. as the bill
presented by Belgium to the peace
/ conference committee on rcpara-
tions was between s7,000.000.00O
and S.O00O00,000. \ fair csti-
mate Of the property loss to Bel
GUM would therefore seem to be
about $1,000, 100000.
Equally systematic was the de-
struction in the invaded districts
of France, which comprised eleven
Of the most prosperous departments.
There fell into the hands of the
Germans pod communes with a
population of nearly 1000, 900.
About 5000 square miles Of the
agricultural lands were Laid waste,
and 100000 buildings damaged. of
which 100000 were completely
destroyed. In over 800 of these
communes the ruins will have to be
RACED to the ground to permit of
reconstruction; this is true of Arras.
Albert, Compiegnc, Rheims. Haze
brouck and Bethunc. rhc devasta-
ton is only a little less complete in
Amiens, Clermont. Beauvais, Senlis.
Epernay, Chalons, Barbecue, Toul
and Nancy. II is reported that
nearly | 800 schools. | 200 churches,
377 public buildings, and over
1000 industrial plants were COM
pletely destroyed. Railroads, bridges,
power plants and othor public
utilities were systematically put out
CT business.
The loss to agriculture was very
great. 1t is impossible TO determine
TIE extent to which the productiv.
properties Of the soil have been
destroyed, but the loss of aericul-
;ural implements alone is estimated
at $2,O00,000,000. In edition 70
this, cattle and stocks of material
and crops were taker or DESTROYED.
Fruit trees were cut down and the
forests utilized. The destruction Of
RANGES coal mines in the Va!en-
ciennes basin during the retreat Of
the Germans is well known. The
same procedure was followed in the
ron industrial sections of Briev
and Longwy and Meurthe-et- Nosele
The textile industries which 'av in