Milford chronicle., 1921-11-25
BILLIONS OF DOLLARS
Worth of American Building
Materials, Machinery and Sup
plies Will Be Required for the
Work.

The following article was copied
from The New York Times of Octo-
Der 18th, 1921:
Possibilities of a great building ma
terial export movement loomed upon
the Eastern market Saturday when it
was learned that Henry C. Irons, for
merly of Irons & Todd, builders of the
S11, 100000 Cunard Building here, had
been invited to take full charge of the
rebuilding of devastated France, ac-
cording to the current Dow Service
Daily Building Reports.
Beyond confirming the report that
such overtures had been made and
that he was considering the accep-
tance of the task, Mr.. Irons said:
"I cannot of course discuss this
matter beyond saying that l have re-
ceived and am now considering an in
vitation to take charge Of certain con-
struction work in France. l can add
nothing more at this time.
Building interests ever since the
war have been speculating upon what
method the French would take to re-
build devastated France. Jumped as
one big construction project, it at
once appeared as the biggest of its
kind in recent times. In fact, it SEEM
ed to be such huge undertaking that
expert building authorities who had
gone to France to look over the situ-
alton had returned with the opinion
that it was too big an undertaking for
almost any one man to handle. 1t
seemed more likely to these contract
ing authorities that the work would
eventually be parceled out.
It develops, however, that the Gov
ernment of France has been studying
this situation ever since the signing
of the armistice, and in line with its
general reconstruction policy has been
working out its rebuilding problem
upon a broader basis than that of inn
mediate relief only. The plan, as pre-
sented at this time, embodies this
principles:
Germany has been likened to
talking machine in a station waiting
room; all ready to go, if it is supplied
with money. Industrial France has
been denuded of machinery, equip
ment, &C., that was modern just prior
to the war. If this machinery is be-
ing depended upon by industrial Ger
many to quickly rehabilitate herself |
and thus gain a step on France,
Frances hope of ultimate industrial |
supremacy on the Continent rests up !
on speedy acquisition of the last word |
in machinery, equipment and even
buildings, so that when the interna-
tional markets are opened, and Ger
many and France are vying with each
I11s
kets of the world, France will have
the advantage of low depreciation and
quantity production, while Germany
will be wrestling with heavy depreci-
alton and machinery that will not be
able to meet the worlds quantity re-
quirements only few years hence.
1t is upon these lines that the
French investigated some months ago
the American Industrial system, Civ
ing especial consideration to the sub
ject of housing the workers employ
ed in it's leading industries. At the
same time the field of American build
ing construction generalship was al
so surveyed. In the course of the dis
tributing and executive side of the in
dustrial investigation the attention of
the inquirers was directed to the Cum
ard Building, then 80 per cent occu-
pied by actual paying tenants, one
year after the first girder was laid
over the subway right-of-way in the
basement.
The visitors to these shores were
with the fact that this
had been designed, develop
ed, tentatively financed and plans ev-
en- perfected during the World War
80 that as soon as peace came actual
work could start. But the
hing that gave the deepest impress
on was that the building work was
Iept to schedule even during the try
ng period when labor was hard to get
md deliveries of material could not
'e made at the job except by the en-
,lOyment of what was considered by
he investigators to have been rather
EXCEPTIONAL executive ability some
7here.
These observations, carried back to
rance, have resulted in a decision to
eek in America for a building con-
truction general able to take COM
land of an army of workers to re-
that which hostile. armies
ltely laid waste.
Building material interests may
)ok for some contact with such a
larket for building commodities as
-ould be under a single purchasing
irector, especially since it is the
resent intention to rebuild not only
le ruined areas of France with struc-
Tres built like American residential
nd industrial buildings, but to equip
lem with sanitary and other appli-
lces that are available in large
lantities only in this country.
The cork on the fishing line will