The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1920-12-17
French Commissioa Reposts
Much of War Ruias Eaaesd
and Industry Active.
RAILROADS ARE REBUILT.
Merchant Marine RestorAd-rwe
Million Tons OF CosA Being
Produced Each Monfh-
nishes OF Per Cent. Of Prc-wael
Production Wool and Cott0n.

The French commission IN tho
United States has just issued state
ment showing the progress yhich
France has made In the last tyo
years in her reconstruction wofh.
The extent or recovery from urDaS-
allel war ravages In the space OF I've
armistice anniversaries IL reflected
by the restoration Of her textile
trades, the rehabilitation Of her mes
chant fleet; by great strides In min
ing activities, resumption OF agricuf
ture. increasing railroad operation.
by her enlarged revenues and by the.
progress of French foreign trade.
In foreign commerce France, dur
ing the first nine months OF the cur
rent year. has improved her trade
balance by over 1000. .00e 600 francs.
The figures are: Exports. 1857
7l1,ooo francs; imports, ~ 1s4so7l.-
600 francs. an excess ofanaDoxxs Of
1o,6OO. .ooo,O 900 francsh eoupkred
to 1868. 900 900 francs exeess DUR
ing the corresponding pSfiod last
year Exports this year 6ere> ees4
per cent of the imports. against $50
per cent in 1919. During AuSQ11 alsu !
, September exports eqdaled 81 Per
cent. of imports. a ratio moi pre-
viously reached since 1910. Ths ns-s
ures disclose an increase Of lie pr
| cent. in exports OF foodstu6s and -
! 1856 per cent rise In manufaetprAs
products compared with the hxN0
| period one year ago.
Textile industries which, with The
coal industry, suffered mcss heav3l<s:
through the invasion OF France. 1re'
leading in the national reconstfuc%
tion: Lille. Roubaix and Tourcciu9A
in the invaded regions had furnishes
o. per cent. OF the pre-war tot44!
French production of wool cotton;
and linen textiles. Clever bilalc1<
francs. at present money values, r6pt;
resents the war damage In these
centres. Armistice day this yeat1
found the ravaged textile industrie4
operating at from 6S to 81 per cent
Of their normal capocfty. The
French government to March Is last
spent AIS, 100000 francs for the res
construction of these industries.
In the Lille region 409 otsthe l1e
mills. employing twenty OF MOI
persons have resumed operatlon -
5000 out Of 1880 cotton loom z n
at work. OF 1861 persons ens-
ployed before the war, 98,SSl hasS
been re-engaged. In Rorbaix al&
Tourcoing seventeen WOODEN 46il1
are operating practically at ndlmn
and out of 100000 spindles, XfS
600 are in service.
Two years ago France had loet
the destruction OF coal mines, 40
than half Of the country's total t6s
producing capacity, twents4l
mines. with a pre-war annual -
pat OF 20.oOO,000 tons HAVING
destroyed in the departments OF ~
and Pas de Calais. One-half or 80
mines are now operating. THcy
duced in January 85.4S3 tons4 -
September. 2S9,sIs tons. Inelu@o
Alsace-Lorraine, French coal n5lu
averaged 100000 TONS per mS5
for the first nine months of this, ~ +
September production was 9, ,liy
| tons 81
On Armistice day. 1918, 7.o0oS 3
acres OF French agricultural lAuX
pitted and SCARED beyoaa g s
ness. Now all but 2s0.00O
have been restored and WIN
OF sowing next spring. Some !
600 acres of this remads SAf1
are already under cultivstSes652
harvests have been 50 eoo1S
France Is virtually able <o
sufficient homegrown cevo611
the people. In 1919 Il voSf1
to import 100000 AGS<{s
Of wheat.
French railroadn ~
provenfent in opstatlnG
a recent months ~ q q