Evening star., 1923-11-06
ALLEGES GIGANTIC
SW|NDLE IN FRANCE
French Deputy Alleges 20 Bill
lion Francs Stolen From
Reconstruction Fund.
by Cable to The Star.

by Gable TO The Star.
PARIS, November 3.-"The recon
struction scandal is the most enor-
nous swindle in all history"
With facts. figures and documents
in hand, the foregoing is the deliber-
ate judgment of Deputy lnghels. rep
resenting the Department du Nord.
which lies along tie Belgian frontier,
and which suffered the heaviest dam
age of all France during the war.
Every Frenchman would under
stand his reference to the Panama
canal scandal, in which hundreds OF
thousands of Frenchmen lost their
savings to enrich manipulators who
had advance notice that the govern
ment would redeem its bonds after
de Lesseps failed in his attempt to
dig the canal.
Deputy Inghels estimates that of
the hundred billion francs spent by
France for repairing private dam
ages. more than twenty billions were
stolen
Alleges Discrimination shown.
although the small sufferers
those whose total losses of all they
possessed amounted to only Il few
thousand francs--are still living in
miserable novels awaiting their in
dennity. those who showed enter
prise and multiplied their losses by
hundred or a thousand were imme-
diately paid" NJ. lnghels declared.
'They have erected these enormous
modern factories and these Sumptu-
Gus. palatial residences that you see
in these devastated regions See this
factory. The shed which formerly
stood here was burned in 1914, before
the war began. It's owner claimed a
million francs war damaSes-and got
it.
1.-TWO brothers claimed 110.000.000
francs apiece. but the state reduced
the bill TO Ij.000.000. They did not
protest, which proves that their claim
was exaggerated. Next, they bought
up at low prices the claims of small
proprietors. who tired of waiting.
Now they have built on ground thus
acquired a magnificent block of build
ings. Ultimately. they will collect all
those claims with interest.
Here is a truck gardener who lost
$4,000 francs worth of cold frames.
He claimed 17o.00o francs damages,
and has collected 10000
Case of Factory Cited.
The deputy next indicated an i'm
menSe factory at TurcoinG and said:
"Hefore the war. that corner be
longcd to "A little cafe keeper. The
was his whole fortune. Now he is
a millionaire
Another example cited was the case
of certain hunt club on the north
coast which owned a stretch of sand
dunes for rabbit hunting. This land
originally was acquired for few
centimes a square yard, as ii was
valueless for other purposes. Dur
ing the war a stray shot slightly
damaged a dixie on the water front
and the club asked 344,O00 francs
damages. 1t actually received more
than that. and now, instead of few
acres of barren sand. it has a beau
tiful park, with trees, tennis courts
and casino.
Gives Government Viewpoint.
1t is only just to say, from the
governments viewpoint, that the pay
ing of large claims first has been a
deliberate policy, adopted in order to
get the factories going and provide
work for the population in the devas-
tsted regions. This. however. while
it probably. will be settled in the
coming session of the chamber of
deputies. will undoubtedly figure
largely in next springs chamber cleo
tions.