Evening star., 1922-11-12


Calais, and 1t is only a question of
time when it will be completed.
7 SPENT yesterday In Armentieres.
i going through some Of the cotton
and linen factories that are now be-
ing rebuilt. The city lies within a
pistol shot OF the border OF Belgium.
1t had forty spinning and weaving
mills at the outbreak of the war.
These were all destroyed by the Ger
mans. Much of their machinery was
carried over the Rhine. as well as all
the copper and brass. Some Of the
smokestacks were blown up, SO that
they fell on the buildings and thus
aided in their destruction. The town
is a fair type of the ruined Industrial
centers.
Tho region is almost altogether {.
given up to textiles. Before tho war
more than two-thirds Of the woolen
spindles of France were in the in
vaded districts. and great part OF
the linen spindles and looms. The
Germans exported more than 100000
linen spindles and 100000 cotton
spindles. They sent home $4,000 cot
ton looms and a greater number OF
looms used for linens.
They destroyed so much combirg
machinery that 1t will take about
$32, ,000, 900 to replace it, and the spin
ming machinery will take another
$12, 100000. They blew up or carried
away the machinery OF the bleaching.
dyeing and ironing plants. 1t Is said
that the loss in the textile industries
alone is upward OF $2.000,0o0.00o.
1 should like to give you q picture
Of one linen factory which I visited
at Armentieres. New buildings are
rising out Of the debris, and they are
installing a spinning and weaving es-
tablishment to which any town in
New England might point with pride.
The mill covers several acres. and 1t
has been almost rebuilt The walls
are Of brick and glass and the roofs
of glass and red ties. The smokestack
Is a mosaic of red and white bricks,
and as a whole the establishment Is
very artistic.
Before the war that mill employed
me that he will now be able to get
much greater output with less labor.
as his new machinery is much more
efficient. In one of the weaving
rooms, covering. 1 should say. half an
acre. I found the looms all in place,
and above them thicket OF leather
and rubber belts forming a network
covering the whole. Some OF the
looms were weaving cloth twenty-five
feet in width and others fine linens
not a yard wide. Only one section OF
the room was operating, for much Of
the machinery is still incomplete. The
director says he is pushing tho work
just as rapidly as he can get labor.
and that the whole business will soon
be humming again. saw some looms
on which girls were weaving the ,hne
linens used in our country. and some
which were turning out ''pongee cloth
for lightweight suits for Asa>rican
men. The director says his exports
at present are largely TO the South
American countries. He deprecates
our tariff. which affects the Franco
American trade.
DURING my trips through tho dev-
II astated region I have been some-
thing Of the beet sugar industry. Tho
loss there was more than 500. .o00. 900.
and to replace the loss of machinery
in the distilleries. breweries and other
agricultural industries will cost. hun
dreds of millions more.
From Armentieres I went into the
Roubaix- ix-Tourcoing district, another
great textile center. which was pr1c-
tically destroyed. but is now rising 70
rapidly. that it. will soon be on It's
feet. have seen something of the
reconstruction of the plate glass and
chemical factories of Chauny, Grey
and Saint Gobain. ! shall not describe
what they were in 1914. but they pro-
duced at Saint Gobain and Chauny
about 100000 square yards OF glass
every year. and much OF th4s Eas
plato glass. At Chauny they turned
out several hundred thousand tons OF
chemical products. and similar work
went on at Grey. All Of these indus
tries are coming back rapidly. Huge
glass factories have risen out OF the
ruins. Hundred Of houses are being
built, and great melting ovens are
being constructed for the glass works
Of the future.
I might say the same as to the
sugar industry. and indeed as to 81
most every industry destroyed by. the
war. The description Of the wonder
full work going on 10 beyond my Inn
tied space. and can only say that
Franco is coming back. 50 fast that
her progress surprises tho nationA;
(CarDenter's World Travels. Copyrighted,
1872. b. Frank q. CarDsatsf.l