FRANCE'S "ROAD BACK"

Chronicle (Levin), 10 September 1949, Page 4

FRANCE'S "ROAD BACK"

y Graphic Filras Demonstrate Aspects Of New Life "When people talk of France they think chiefly of her intellectual or artistic life, of tourism, of the delights of Paris and perhaps our fine wines and fine eookery. Certainly T shou d not have the slightest idea of repudiating ohis4 actractive inheritance. France is a country where art is looked upon as something serious 'and important, I 'will say even as something essential, worthy of re"spect and of the attention of the 3tate and every citizen." M. Henry Rollet, first secretary . of the French Legation, Wellington, made ' this observation when •peaking on Thursday night to a public . meeting of the a United Nations Association of Levin. He said a.so that it was too often forgotten that side by side with picturesque old houses, roya castles and fertile countrySide there existed a thr-iving texti'ie industry, a chemical industry. it the height of- development and "a skilled and industrious population whose demographic vigbur ■ h'ad never been so flourishing as since the end of the last wa.r. * * M. Rollet drew yet another picture' of France — a France. devastated by war and struggling -for economic recovery. To i'luso.rate nis; points, M. Rollet presen'ted. rhree films, one on ' the city of Rouen, the capital of Normarldy, another entitled "EI-Djezair," the Arabic name for Algiers, and ,the third on the -building of the Gifotte Dam. . Destruction Of Rouen. "The first of these films is not an amusing one," said M. Rollet, "but I think that between natiohs, as between individuals, there can be no real sympathy if one d'eclines to take into account the misfortunes of others, or takes refuge in complacent optimism." The filni Showed the .destruction of the city of Rouen, a one-time centre of art and industry and a population of 400,000. The cathedral, churchgs, supreme courfc and ancient houses were shown — ail lamentaBly mutllated.' The ultra-modern equipment- of the greatest of French maritime ports (12,500,000 tons in 1938) completely wiped out and the iiihabitants reduced to living in unendurab'e conditions of squalor and over-crowding. "This experience of Rouen has been suffered by France twice in 30 years," said the speaker. "We had lost at the end of the first World War 500,000 buildings destroyed and 1,350,000 men. In 1945 we found ourselves with material losses even greater, naq§ely one house in every 25 destroyed and 15 damaged. ■ The losfe of life ^FOtOO©)- was~smailer, but still in excess of British losses (420,000) or those of the Americans. The effects of these two wars have meant for the Frencb not only moral and physical suffering, the horror of which is past imagining, but also a stagnation in population and economy which explains the setback' of France in the world." A more pleasant aspect of French problems was the film tracing the history of the port of A'giers, which France took over in lboO. From this haunt of pirates and slave dealers, French colonists have built up a city of nearly' 1,000,000 inhabitants and port freights of 3,500,000 tons. "Wb wish to extend and continue this work," commented M. Rollet. The final film, dealing with the Girotte Dam illustrated the efforts made in France to increase her resources in hydro-electric power, It is not the largest dam and several at present under cqnstruction will exceed it. Economic Improvement. M. Rollet then continued to give an outline of what France intends to do. to improve its economic position by a modernisation scheme known as the Mormet Plan. Adopted immediately following the liberation, this plan aims by 1952 to bring French production above the maximum figure reached in 1929. Agricultural production was to be stimula'ted by the increased use of chemical fertilisers and modem niachinery. Industrial production was to be built up by an increase in national electric power resources, increased coal exrtraction with 60,000,000 tons by 1952 and the systematic prospecting of petroleum resources. "This plan, put into effect in 1946, is already beginning to show results," said M. Rollet. "The French railways, 50 per cent. destroyed, arg now restored and waterway communlcations, 80 per cent. destroyed, have been reestablished. The Merchant Navy, only a third of which remained, is almost back' to its prewar tonnage." Produc.tion of steel and coal was well in excess of prewar years, added the speaker. Over 70 attended the meeting, which was presided over by '-the president of the branch, Mr.' E: R. Winkler. The speaker was officially welcbmed to Levin by the Mayor, Mr. H. B. Burdekin. At the eonclusion a light supper was served. •