The Washington herald., 1921-03-15
BELGIAN Is HOPEFUL
OF TRADE REVIVAL.

which suffered devastation and in
dustrial calamity during the war.
Belgium has probably shown the
most remarkable recuperative-
power. for, according to reports.
after the armistice the people Of
Belgium set about reconstruction
with the same determination and
tenacity which had characterized
their resistance to the Germans IN
1914
1t Is disquieting to learn that
Belgian industries arc now suffer-.
ing relapse from the remarkable
postwar progress which had marked
the last two years.
Details are brought by Henry
Van Week. Antwerp glass manu-
facturer, who was seen yesterday at
the New willard while in Wash
ington on his way to Pittsburgh.
Although practically every in
dustry is affected. Van yleck says
that Belgian bankers and business
men are confident the depression is
only temporary. 1t hapens that Van
Weeks business Is one of the few
industries that still are enjoying
prosperity. Glass manufacturing
was one of the first industries to
recover after the war. and Is still
fourishing. But 1t is dificult, he
says, to keep UP with the demand
for plate glass and tableware. on
account of a recent cut in retail
prizes of these wares.
TEXTILE INDUSTRY
GREATEST SUFFERER.
tnl, ~
featuring has suffered most, Van
Week declares. Although fax mills
are working eighteen hours a week,
there is very little demand for tex
tiles. and 1t is feared these plants
soon will be forced to shut down.
When Van Week left Antwerp "a
900 OF the normal number Of 12s, 900
workers were without work.
Belgium's only important mine
product is coal. The strike of No
.vember and its after-effects have
decreased considerably the output of
coal, which had at one time actually
exceeded the pre-war production.
Had II not been 70 the general
strike of November, 1920, this in
dustry would have shown 100 per
cent production for the year 1920,
in comparison with that Of 1913.
For the last complete year be-
fore the war the average monthly
production of coal in Belgium was
1.910.710 tons. Last year produc-
tion by months was as follows:
January. 1.s6s.64o: February. L.
6S3.75o; March, zoos $50; April, L.
soo.75o: May. 1.737.oso; June. ap-
proximately 1000. 900: July. slightly
less than 1000. 900: August. 1885,
900: September. 1909, $50: October.
1891 900: November, approximately
s75, 900
This coal production Shas served
the purpose OF making my country
independent Of coal imports" Van
Week observed. land has been Of
material assistance in the quick re-
covery of manufacturing.
METALLURGICAL PLANTS
ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES.
The metallurgical plants. how
ever. have been rather slow in get
ting on their feet. Progress was
fairly steady up to the first of last
October. when the decline COM
menced because of slack buying. In
November the industry had come al
most to a standstill.
IN 1913 the metallurgical indus
workers" wan Week continued.
The machine trades gave employ
ment to 10000. Today the metal
lurgicsl industry employees 10000
workers and the machine shops and
factories more than 10000. Before
the war Belgium had fifty-five blast
furnaces in operation. During the
war three were totally destroyed,
yet by December. 1920, the remain
ing fifty-two had either been re-
stored and were once more in opera
tion or were under reconstruction"
The greatest difficulty faced by
the textile industry, which is of
vital interest to American cotton
growers, is the problem of regulat-
ing prices. Practically all mills are
offering cotton and linen goods at
less than SO per cent of their pres
ent retail prices. Buyers are hold
ing back, naturally enough, and re-
fuse to buy at the present whole
sale price until they dispose of the
high priced stock already on hand.
The mills are faced, therefore,
with the alternative of closing down
unless there is some demand for
their product. Such contingency,
Van Week says, would mean the
turning out OF at least 100000 work.
ers.
MANY IDLE SPINDLES
BECAUSE OF wALKOUTS.
Last December the large cooper
ative fiax-spinning plant was closed
because of lack of orders, and fol-
lowing the cessation of work by
the Socialist spinners, many others
quit work until now the number of
fax spindles in Belgium has fallen
greatly from the grand total of
229,000 reached in July of last year.
Belgian manufacturers of textiles
had estimated last August that
100000 bales Of American cotton
would be required for the fiscal
year. August I, 1920, to July 81,
1921. Today, Van Week says, the
estimate is placed at less than co.
900 bales and may drop to 10000
before the spring deliveries.