The L'Anse sentinel., 1919-04-18
Has New Ideals Undreamed of in 19l4Fuure of the Country
Turned From Agriculture to Industriaism-WhIe
Distant Future Is Bright Problems to Be
Solved Are Mighty.

keep the exchange rate from mount
ing higher against France.
Mere fiuctuatlOn of exchange was
not the primary reason for barring out
the American automobiles.
AS 1t happened, well-known
French concern operated by Andre
CitrOen, whose name is as well known
In France as the name Of the leading
manufactures of cheap automobiles is
known In America, had turned his fac
tory over to munition production dur
ing the war. While the peace con-
ference was starting. Citroen was
converting his works into plant for
manufacturing small and fairly
cheap car which would take it's place
as the cheapest car in France as soon
as production could be gotten under
way. ~
In the meantime Citroen was pro-
tected. The lot of American cars was
not to be thrown on to a market that
the French considered to be legitimate
ly Citroen's.
Close to Industrial Paralysis.
Americans in Paris did not appreci-
ate the French situation as revealed
in cold figures of the statisticians,
namely, that France was on the very
verge of absolute Industrial paralysis
that the country, with only one or
two false moves, might easily go into
that vicious circle of Industrial mis-
fortune that had already hit Austria
where the whole economic fabric had
degenerated to point that brought
rank ruin to the greater portion of the
population.
While France was enacting laws that
prohibited the Importation of Amerl-
can manufactured articles and thereby
hoped to protect her own disrupted
factories while they got back from n
war basis TO peace footing Amer
lea, as she had every right to do, shut
out one of the principal commodities
the French have to sell abroad: wines,
brandies and liquors. Our national
prohibition amendment cut off ut one
stroke one of the leading products
the French had hoped to sell in the
United States. There was of course
no spirit of retaliation on the part Of
America In this-it was simply the
working out of strictly national prob
lem.
American officials here in Paris who
were watching the strained relations
between the Americans and certain
cliques of the French used to point
out that America must make due al
lowances for the critical problems of
reconstruction days In France and re-
member that any unjust commercial
discrimination ordered by the French
government would right itself quickly
enough because of the inequalities
such rulings made in France itself.
In other words, 1t was regarded as
only matter Of time before pressure
brought to bear by the French busi-
ness houses who were unfavorably af-
fected by the embargo against Ameri-
ernment to let down the bars in many
instances and permit the flow Of trade
to resume.
French Industries Ruined.
To illustrate: The country around
Lille in the north of France was a
great spinning center before the war.
1t was also the center Of some Of the
worst fighting. And the spinning mills
were destroyed by shell fire and by
willful robbery by the Germans. OF
the $4,000 bobbins spinning linen
thread before the war 2S0,0O0 were
destroyed and $4,000 stolen. In the
wool spinning business In this section
100000 bobbins out Of 2,5O0,OOO were
destroyed or stolen, according to the
French minister Of reconstruction.
Something like five hundred cotton
bobbins were put out of business. To
complete the job of paralyzing the