The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1920-06-16
m IAN FACTORIES BUSY AND BELGIAN
PEOPLE ARE RECOVERING FROM WAR SHOCKS
Srn,s ne Being Restocked
I'd sHppiing is Climbing
Steadily.
4 BseMIToN BRoRNER,
KEA. Enropean Manager.

= Nj ~ 6AtsfsS'
BRUHsEIS, Belgium, June IL
fae scream Of factory SIRENS and tne
lsppy laughter Of the people are driv
III The echoes Of the war from the
heart Belgium.
Tnis, Is the Land that Has Come
'Cross: the Belgian frontier and you
mo i, q country Of milk and honey
Z md sdnong q people happy in In
dhStry and laerry at play.
Beigium Is recovering more RAPID
n thsn any other European nation
from the effects Of war. She Is tasl
reclining the place she held In 1911
Trains Better, Farmers Buster.
This city Is brilliant with electric
iighf Larger, better locomotives
draw Belgian trains than any others
On The Continent. There are dining
ems and they serve good food.
+ The fields through which you pass
re better kept and the farmers are
busy. Mill, eggs and butter are plen'
The famous Belgian candymakers
have re-opened their shops and Brus
sels streets are lined with candy ano
pastry shops. IA.
me ioyeliest fabrics and the smart
"a and prettiest hats. They are sell
ing them, too.
I visited general store here, not
me that caters to the wealthy. :,
8 The prize dehcacles Of the world
we're there-fresh fruits OF every
cline great blushing red sausages Oh
dueer name and cheese OF queerer
ehapes and much queerer odors.
The American soup kitchen lives IN
memory only.
The streets at night are tmongeo
VII crowds OF well dressed, laughing
ing people.
Behind these gay things are the
nay wheels Of industry.
when the Germans left Belgium
fhey left chaos. The two things q
country must have to be prosperous
we're I ssing-transportation ana
mel.
The invader has destroyed bridges,
carried away stations, wrecked cuL
.Terts and blown away rights OF way.
Rut before he was gone, the Belgtans
were making steel rails to replace
those he destroyed and their air
rlanes were mapping the railway
lines wiped out. 49,,
Site engineers and army engineers
erItehed in' to rebuild and now HARD
IVA red line that means a railway de-
stroyed Is left on the maps
Last year Belgium had 500 more
miners at work than in 1913 and her
cal output was "a per cent Of the
ure.war figure. In 1920 she will pro
dnce more coal than In 1913.
Is And she needs that coal for the
mills and factories which are run
Ming full blast to provide the mater.
ials to rebuild wrecked homes and
replace whole towns.
Shipping Increase Rapid.
One month after the armistice 50
ships did business at the port OF
I hnswerp. Their tonnage was 73,S22.
n March, 1918, 2S9 ships with ton
mage Of S6S, 1886, sailed in and out In
March. 1920, 691 ships with a ton
mage OF S36.257.
This Is about onethird OF the pre-
war business Of the port. Antwerp,
then, IN less than IS months, has
recovered q third Of a business alb
solutely dead for almost six years!
Belgium imported goods in 1913
valued at 34,296.000 francs. "a franc
g par is about 20 cents. Already this
wear she has bought on the world
market 2,727, $4,000 francs worth OF
raw material. She Is buying the
sinews Of peace. But in this same
half year she has sold to the world
SS5102,00o francs worth Of manu-
factured goods against S30,000,000 in
an Of 1918. That Is the proof Of Bel.
GUMS real industrial comeback."
Progress Slower on Old Battle-Line.
Only In Flanders Is Belgium slow.
The very soil Of this fertile region
was blown away. Roads we're gone.
Towns IN heaps Of stone and plaster.
Orchards gone. Every Landmark
changed.
The state Is rebuilding Flanders
and has pledged to give each ruined
i1ndlord q house equivalent to the
one he lost.
The department Of agriculture Is
restocking farms. It has distribut.
Cd 81, 494 horses, 5S,1S3 cows, 403S
sheep and pigs, goats and poultry.
"A cattle show was held recently on
the ruins Of Ypres.
Many mules and horses have been
brought from the English and Can.
adam armies and by the terms Of
fiie peace Germany must give back
agricultural instruments stolen during
tie occupancy.
n Tafe i By and large. Belgium has
slsen from her ashes, brushed them
from her shoulders and the "bravest
country Of the war" Is now the brav'
! 81 country Of the peace.
o. o.l.o1Mo,L