The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-06-14
BELGIUM SETS
PACE FOR ALL
Smallest of War Ridden Allies
Has Displayed Wonderful
Vitality In Recovery.
LAND HAS COME BACK
Miners Are Working, Farmers
Are Being Restocked and
Shipping Is Climbing.
BY MILTON HRoNNER.

Brussels. Belgium, June 13.-The
happy laughter OF the people are driv-
ing the echoes of the war from the
heart of Belgium.
This is the Land that Has Come
Back.
Cross the Belgian frontier, and you
are in country OF milk and honey and
among a people happy in industry
and merry at play.
Belgium is recovering more rapidly
than any other European nation from
the effects of war. She is fast regain
ing the place she held in 1914.
This city is brilliant with electric
light. Larger, better locomotives
draw Belgian trains than any others
on the Continent. There are dining
cars and they serve good food.
The fields through which you pass
are better kept and the farmers are
busy. Milk, eggs and butter are plen-
tiful.
The famous Belgian candymakers
have re-opened their shops and Brus-
sells streets are lined with candy and
pastry shops.
The women's shops are filled with
the lovliest fabrics and the smartest
and prettiest hats. They are selling
them. too.
] visited a general store here, not
one that caters to the wealthy.
The prize delicacies of the world
were there-fresh fruits of every cline,
great blushing red sausages of queer
name and cheeses of queerer sha 2es
and much uueerer odors
The American soup kitchen lives
in memory only.
The streets at night are thronged
with crowds ,of well dressed, laughing
people.
Behind these gay things are the
gray wheels of industry.
When the Germans left Belgium they
left chaos. The two things a country
must have to be prosperous were miss
Iing-transportation and fuel.
The invader had destroyed bridges,
carried away stations. wrecked cul-
verts and blown away rights of way.
But before he was gone, the Belgians
were making steel rails to replace
those he destroyed and their airplanes
were mapping the railway lines wiped
out.
State engineers and army engineers
pitched in" to rebuild and now hard
ly red line that means a railway de-
stroyed is left on the maps.
Last year Belgium had 5000 more
miners at work than in 1913, and her
coal output was "a per cent of the pre-
war figure. In 1920 she will produce
more coal than in 1913.
And she needs that coal for the
mills and factories which are running
full blast to provide the materials. to
rebuild wrecked homes and replace
whole towns.
One month after the armistice so
ships did business at the port of Ant
werp. Their tonnage was 1882. In
March. 1919. 2ss ships, with a tonnage
OF 36S,396, said in and out. In March,
1920. 691 ships, with a tonnage of
S36,257.
This is about third of the pre-
war business of the port Antwerp
then. in less than 1S months, has re-
covered third of a business absolutely
! dead for almost six years.
Belgium imported goods in 1918
valued at 34.2e6.000 francs. "a franc
at par is about 20 cents.) Already
this year she has bought on the world
market .727.370.000 francs worth of
raw material. She is buying the sin
year she has sold to the world Ss5. .1o2.-
600 francs worth of manufactured
goods against $50, 900, 600 in all of 1919.
That is the proof of Belgium's real