Evening star., 1941-05-09
(Second OF a Series.)
By PRESTON GROVER,
Foreign Correspondent of The Stars
Special News Service.

she likes it or not, France is being
slowly organized as sort of 'arsen-
al for the Axis powers"
She Is by no means the main
erenal-that will always be Ger
many. But to the extent that Ger
many can make pressure effective,
Frances resources, once turned
against the Axis, now are giving it
aid.
Imagine that the Bethlehem Steel
Co. had been completely surrounded
by United States Steel-its iron ore
and coal cut off, its rail connections
stopped.
Then the United States Steel says
to Bethlehem: I'VE will supply you
enough coal and steel to fill the
needs of some of our customers. 1t
will keep some of your men en-
ployed. We will send over a super
visor. Use our patterns and make
what We need
German and Blockade Control.
That, in a general sense, is what
has happened to industry in France.
It's raw materials are largely under
control of Germany, because nearly
all industrial France is in the part
OF France occupied by the German
Army. Its outside sources of raw
materials are cut off by the British
blockade
In spite of Admiral Darlan's
threats to break the blockade if
necessary with the French fleet,
there is not great prospect that
France will get any raw materials
other than what Germany lets her
have.
The net result is that French in
dustry is reputedly operating at
about 35 per cent of capacity as a
big general average. That is the
figure widely used by both French
and German authorities.
Some industries, of course, are
going full speed. The mining of
coal, for instance, is being stepped
up rapidly toward normal. and Ger
man officials say they will have it
beyond normal before many months.
Germany con use coal and iron.
Certain automobile plants are busy
doing what they did before the oc-
cupation-making armored automo-
biles and tanks.
Big Gun Output Continues.
The Schneider Creusot plant, an
enormous French munitions estab-
ishment, has continued the output
OF big guns. German authorities
recently announced these guns were
being placed at strategic points
along the English Channel.
Frances airplane and engine fac
tories continue producing at high
speed.
France does not produce enough
natural oil for sewing machine, but
there were enormous supplies in the
country when the Germans began
their invasion. Much of the oil was
burned. For three days before Paris
was occupied, the city was in pail
Of black smoke from burning oil
tanks while q blanket of oil SCOT
settled on the city.
The same picture was painted
widely over France. But much of
the oil was not burned. The Ger
mans got it.
Not French car in the occupied
zone is driven without German per-
mission. Gasoline is almost as
precious as typhoid vaccine. Oil re-
f1neries at Bordeaux and elsewhere
have Shrunken their production
since their reserves began petering
out.
Rubber presents another interest
ing case. At the beginning of the
war France had rubber reserves
Of about 10000 tons in government
hands. Private plants had addi-
tional reserves.
The government reserve acted as
q sort of bank upon which manu-
facturers could draw from time to
time on condition that they soon
import enough to replace what they
had taken.
Up to Normal When Captured.
Generally, it is understood that
when the German Army came to
France the supply was fairly we'll
up to normal. Rubber manufac-
turers who owed the bank any raw
rubber were required to pay it back |
But of their own reserves.
Ten thousand tons of rubber is
. sturdy reserve for such country |
a. France, where the use of auto
mobiles even before the war was
confined largely to few.
There never were two automobiles
in every garage in France. She
used normally about 10000 tons of
rubber yearly. Now such rubber
plants as still are working are pro-
ducing under German supervision
50 long as the stocks last. For
some of them that is matter of
month or two.
Transportation is another of the