The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-05-28
BELGIUM MAKES ! RAPID RECOVERY
 FROM LATE WAR
Industries Closed For Four
 Years Are Fast Return ! ing To Normal.
Country's Prosperity F Taken As Good Sign
European Situation Made
 More Hopeful Through k Swift Come Back.

aF
 eBy Francis H. Sisson, Vice President
 of the Guaranty Trust Company | of New York.)
 Belgium, as was predicted a few months ago, Is rapidly returning to normal There is perhaps II, phase of the tangled European situat n to- day more hopeful than the swift re- covery of Belgium industries, which for live years were in the hands of the Germans who were bent on their destruction. Reports of progress during the early months of 1920 are even more astonishing than the fig ures for 1919.
 Take particularly certain metaRqur- gfca1 industries. These plants were systematically wrecked or the ma chinery transported to Austria and Germany Here are a few striking figures showing the percentage of | restoration to normal pre-war pro- hductfen in these lines: Locomotives and steam engines, 100 per cent; rolling stock and railway material, 90 per cent; boiler making and cop per-smithing, 75 per cent; foundries, so per cent; bolt-making, wire drawing and manufacturing, 30 i per cent; manufacture of bicycles and automobiles, 55 per cent; machine tools, 90 per cent; general mechani- cal production, 70 per cent; electrical construction, 100 per cent; iron bars, 1o2 per cent; cast-iron, 62 per cent; steel. 40 per cent
 The extent of industrial recovery is :. indicated also by the number of peo- pie employed. In a group Of enter ! prises representing mining, metal and quarries, 2S1 ,643 workmen were em- ployed in December, 1919, as com pared with 23O,53S in December. 1913. A list of 3,s92 other enter prises showed 2S9,172 workmen em- ployed in December, 1919, as com pared with 412,462 in December, 1913, It is estimated that 76 per cent as many people were employ ed in December, 1919, as in Decem- Der, 1913.
 Out of about 10000 pieces of metal 1urgical machinery carried away, more than 5000 pieces have been re- covered, according to the latest avail able statistics. The Belgian zinc in dutries were almost completely wiped put Before the war, Belgium pro- duced one-ffth of the worlds output of unmanufactured zinc, approxi- mate1y 100000 tons per annum, of which 15O,O00 tons were exported. Official statistics for March, 1920, in dicate that the production had been restored to 66 per cent. of normal The restoration of the zinc industry has been retarded by lack of raw ma teriaL More rapid Improvement may now be expected SIS a contract had just been placed for 24o,o0O tons of Australian zinc ore.
 Belgian glass is well known throughout the world for its brilliancy and high quality Of the eight large plate-glass factories, seven were in operation again in November, 1919 All of the window glass factories are in full or partial operation In value, the production is much above normal as wholesale prices are five or six times pTe-war quotations. In the manufacture of goblets and fine glass ware 23 out of about 30 factories have resumed operations. The manufac- turers of plate and window glass have more orders than they can fl!. the ing very heavy.
 Coal mining is one of the basic in dustries of Belgium, and it is one that suffered the least during the German occupation The Germans needed the mines, and did not have an Oppor- tun1ty to destroy many of them befor e retreating. The mines have, how ever, generally suffered somewhat from improper operation. and their restoration to normal productivity was also hampered by lack of trans portaion facilities and labor. In 1913, Belgium produced 22,S91, ,590 tons of coal Fores the first three months of 1920 production was 1Os per cent of that of 1913.
 In 1914, there were 2S flax mills in RPlpiIlT1 of do- stroyed during the war Three of these are being rebuilt By August 1919, all of these mills except those that had been destroyed, had partially resumed operations. Resumption has been retarded by scarcity of raw ma terlal-. Prior to the war over 75,000 acres chiefly in West Flanders, were devoted to the cultivation of flax. In 1919, it is estimated that about 62,00O acres remained under cultivation. Be- fore the war the Belgian flax spinning industry had 32S,56o sindles; of these 311,000 are again utilizab1e and 1o3,- 166 are in actual operation The number of persons en ployed in this industry, before the war, was about 76,0e0; the number employed Febru- ary, 1920, is estimated at $500.
 The textile industry is very i'm port ant in Belgium This industry suffer- ed less than the metallurgical indus tries, but full resumption of business has been retarded by the fact that the Germans systematically removed the copper and brass parts, as well as betting, wool carders and e1ectrica equipment. Satisfactory progress k being made in recovery. however, and an average of so per cent of pre-wal production has been attained.
 The resumption of production O. the woolen mills has been delayed longer than that of the cotton mill: because of the greater difficulty 1T obtaining raw material, and the worlt wide shortage of wool. The cottor industry of Belgium, prior to thu war, occupied 1,5S0,0O0 spindles; S' per cent of them had been restored to operation by January l, 1920.
 Belgium has a lar ger percentage O railway per square mile than an, other country in the world, viz: A. per 100 square miles as compared x.,ity, 10 ih Engiand 1375 in France