LOOT FOR NAZIS

Evening Star, Issue 23699, 5 October 1940, Page 16

LOOT FOR NAZIS

THE WEALTH Of FRANCE RICH PRIZE FOR CONQUEROR France, as one of the richest and most highly developed regions in the world, is a rich prize for the conqueror, and, although the resources of the country cannot fill all Germany’s needs, they can go far towards meeting some of the worst deficiencies, writes an economic correspondent of the Sydney ‘ Morning Herald.’ Germany will undoubtedly gain in France stores and reserves of the greatest worth, though the value to her of French wealth over the longer term will depend largely on the amount of havoc wrought in the principal • industrial regions, and German ability quickly to reorganise industries and shattered transport facilities. Germany’s biggest gain is access to the great iron ore fields of Lorraine, which served her so well in the last war. Until May she was obliged to import about two-thirds of her iron ore needs, amounting to about 10,000,000 tons (iron content) annually. The rich ore of northern Sweden provided 37 per cent, of this, but before the war 21 per cent was drawn from the neighbouring French field. Lorraine has one of the largest iron deposits in the world, although the ore is not very rich, containing about 30 per cent, of iron and a high proportion of phosphorus, which makes it unsuitable for some of the more exacting purposes, such as armaments. The steel industry in the neighbouring German provinces has been built up with the Thomas process for handling this type of ore. The mines were highly developed by the French, and most completely mechanised, bringing total production in 1929 to 18.000,000 tons (iron content) although recently output has been about 10.000.000 tons annually About one-thifd of the output was exported, principally to Germany and Belgium. STEEL AND COAL. The steel industry is mainly situated in the northern' and eastern areas of Franco, which are the principal industrial fields. Two-thirds of the steel capacity of the country was lost during 1914-18, but since then the industry has been rebuilt and greatly extended. After a careful study of foreign practices steelworks M-ere established with modern lay-out to embody the most up-to-date methods. Asa result an important export trade 1

was developed in semi-finished steels. Blooms and billets, wire, rails, and structural steels were exported to Great Britain and Italy, and production was six to nine million tons annually, compared with about 12,(300,000 tons produced in Great Britain. High-speed and special steels are produced chiefly in the centre and southern regions, at such places as Grenobles, which has become a centre of electro-metallurgy by reason of ample water power, while St. Etienne, in the same region, is a centre for tools, heavy engineering, and many armament works. In the last two years numerous small munitions works, annexes, and engineering shops have been established In widely scattered places in the southern and western areas. Although the quality of work is of the highest, it has become only too tragically evident that the scale of these preparations, and resources of machine tools and other equipment, have been wholly inadequate. French coal mines produced 47,000,000 tons in 1938, nearly all from northern mines, by means of highly mechanised plant, installed after 1918 Apart from war damage, this is of lesser importance to Germany, which already possesses good coal resources. VALUABLE BAUXITE. The bauxite deposits of France, however, are of great importance. The spectacular development of aluminium, in the last 20 years, has been largely due to German efforts to develop the metal for aircraft, and as a substitute for other metals, and Germany is by far the largest producer in Europe, with Franco ranking second. France had an export surplus of bauxite, of which she produced nearly 700,000 tons and exported one-third, whereas Germany, which produced four times as much aluminium as France, was obliged after September to rely almost entirely upon bauxite from Hungary, Yugoslavia, and Italy. The chemical industry has also made great strides in France since 1918, and the great potash field of Alsace is capable of supplying valuable fertilisers to Germany and the Low Countries, although large quantities of nitrates were imported into France, The textile industry produced highquality fabrics of wool, cotton, and linen, and was the largest manufacturing industry in France. Four-fifths of the' industry was in the north, however, and was doubtless heavily damaged in the German advance, as it was 25 years ago. As the industry was dependent upon imported raw, materials, Germany is unlikely to salvage much from this wreckage. French railways have been developed to a very high pitch, with high-speed permanent ways of specially _ heavy manganese steel rails to permit fast and heavy traffic. All-metal coaches have largely replaced wood, and rolling

stock has been reinforced with a large number of powerful locomotives of the “ Pacific ” and “ Mountain ” types* The big reserves of modern rolling stock and the highly perfected equipment for manufacture, * repair, and maintenance form a rich haul or booty for the invader. THE AIR INDUSTRY. Motor car production of about 200.000 units annually from well-organ-ised plants could be a useful supplement to the German output of about 340.000 vehicles, but the_ French aircraft industry has suffered'from bad organisation insufficient equipment, and unsuitable methods for a number of years, and is not likely to be of great value to the invader. Agriculture is still the largest single industry in France, and the country, is normally approximately self-supporting in foodstuffs The terrible ravages of the war in the northern plains cannot be made good in a short period, however. In industry generally the havoc must have been considerable, and the problem of reorganisation, as well as that of transport when oil supplies are scarce, reduces the immediate gains upon which' Germany can count. Certain grave gaps remain in German economic resources which all the wealth of France cannot fill. In oil,. France is dependent practically entirely upon overseas supplies, although important refining and storing centres have been established Germany can find no permanent supplies of copper, nickel, manganese, tin. rubber, or cotton. It may be that she has seized stocks of these things, and the policy of the blitzkrieg pays little heed to the day after to-morrow. Nor does France proper possess lead, although now that the way lies open to Spain. Germany should succeed in obtaining additional lead, zinc, and copper. Spanish industry and transport have been so shattered, however, that to provide supplies on a large seal* must be a matter of difficulty. France has always remained a country of small, independent enterprises and family concerns. Large- , scale concentrations have been very few. and are. in fact contrary to deeply-rooted traditions and habits of work of the people, who have made their place in the modern world by individual taste and judgment and power to originate Unceasing and relentless vigilance would be necessary to keep such a people forced into the German mould of huge industrial concentrations and complete suppression of the individual.