Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-08
GENERAT|ONNEEDED'
TO RECLAIM EUROPE.
John n. Mason, Returning From
Abroad, Tells Of Optimism
Of French People


visited France, Belgium and Great
+ Britain. What he noticed most Is a
spirit Of optimism among the people Of
those countries affected by the war. They
talk of overcoming the scars left by the
war in a year, he said, and seem to be
doing little toward the work, but 1t is
easy for any one to see they will need
I generation to complete what they talk
about.
Among the financiers of all these
countries with whom he came in con-
| tact. and he met many Of the leading
ones. he said he heard no talk Of repu-
diation of obligations assumed on ac-
count of the war. They did talk OF ex-
! tension of time and a renewal Of the
obligati till they could meet them,
| lust as every nation or business is com
pelled to do when payment on time Is
an utter impossibility.
One thing that impressed Kim was the
! fact that in the French war area, to be
distinguished from the devastated area,
80 Ia per cent is this year under culti-
vation-aboutN Nhe size of the state of
| Maryland. Nature, he said. has coy
cred up many of the earth scars, but
there are parts in the devastated area.
where the ground was churned into
desolate waste, which can never be re-
claimed. Paris. he says, is, IL anything,
more beautiful than ever and no one
would imagine she ever suffered from
war.
The people accept the situation philo-
sophically and are attending to business
as usual He did not see any scarcity of
commodities, except sugar, which is re-
stricted. Hotels in London and Paris
are crowded beyond limit. and any one
going over without securing reservations
will not find any accommodations One
noticeable thing in England, he said,
was the good natured manner in which
the laboring men had accepted restric-
tions on the pub" or saloon. which
were enforced during the war and are
still in force. These ''pubs'' are closed
during the day from'2 o'clock to g p. M.
and are then open till 10 p. M. when
they are closed for the night and no one
complains. In Paris. where absinthe
was barred during the war, it has made
its appearance again, but not conspicu-
ously.
Among the leading men in finance
and politics whom he met he said there
Is feeling that there. will be a League
Of Nations, whether America comes in
or not. but all expect America to come
in, with or without reservations. In
little figure with these men, he said.
But no one expects the League of Ma
tions is going to end war for all time.
1t will, however. be a step in the di-
rection of war prevention, which is very
important.
Mr.. Mason was impressed with the
appearance of Lille. the Pittsburgh of
Europe. All the smokestacks were belch-
ing out smoke, he said; safe indica-
ton on which to base conclusion that
somebody was at work. Money in those
countries, just as here, he said, does not
60 as far as it did before the war. Our
dollar buys only fifty cents worth now.
and the franc and sovereign are just
| as much deprecated in value over there.
He saw no suffering from poverty. {:
but many people are poor. They recog-
nize that they must stand for heavy
taxation and don't grumble about it.
During the war there was good deal
of talk about the large number of
MANNED men it would leave in Europe.
Such condition does not exist, or, If
it does, it is not noticeable, he said.
| OF course, there are such men. but hos
pitfalls have been provided for them, and
there number is not such as to cause
comment.
Mr.. Mason did not go into Germany,
but he talked with leading Frenchmen,
who expressed surprise at the bitter
feeling of Americans for the Ger
mans. Frenchmen say that there are
| 10, ,00O. 900 of them who. perforce, must
be their perpetual neighbors. and why
should they not cultivate good relations
with them, as they expected to buy and
sell and trade with them in the years
to come. There are large amounts of
money going from England into Ger
| o,,I &c ,al 10
to the opportunities of international
trade.
And, by the way, he remarked,
financiers and leading men over there
talk from an international view or
standpoint. England has always devoted
great deal of time to sports, which
seems sensible, and has helped to make
her people what they are. If anything
she Is devoting more time than ever to
sports. And France is following her ex-
ample in that respect.
Where, not many years ago, the only
golf course in France was 4-hole one
on a little island in the River Seine,
now one sees golf played all over the
country.
There was some talk in the financial
district yesterday about the announce
ment that Thomas f. Ryan had sailed
for Europe for the purpose of assisting
in negotiations intended to secure the
monopoly in tobacco now held by the
French Government. Those who know
something of negotiating with repre-
sentatives Of European governments, es-
pecially on such an important matter
as the tobacco monopoly, have doubts of
anything being accomplished at any
rate, for years to come. 1t was said
that negotiations have been In progress
in q desultory way for some time past.
The fact that France needs funds to
pay her share Of the Anglo French loan,
due next fall, might influence the sale
by the government, but there are other
ways of raising that amount and it is
not expected that France will part with
such a valuable revenue producer unless
the price offered Is sufficiently tempting.
A broker remarked that until the an
nouncement by the railroad labor board.
on July 20, Of the advance allowed in
wages, he does not look for much ac-
tivity in railroad stocks, and not even
then. In fact, until the Interstate
Commerce Commission makes it's rate
announcement, he does not anticipate
there will be much doing.
In every way, he said, the outlook
otherwise Is most encouraging. Crop
reports continue to improve; the trans.
portation troubles, while far from being
over, seem in fair way of being adj,
justed; the cotton crop promises 10 be
much larger than anticipated and prog-
ress toward dehation appears to be |