FRENCH INDUSTRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 January 1923, Page 1

FRENCH INDUSTRY.

! METAIfLUEGY-ELECTKICTIT. FKANCK’S GREAT DISCOVERY. AUCKLAND, Jan. 20 There was an interested audience of commercial interests and those connected with the iron and steel trade and electricity generally, in the Town Hall Concert'Chamber, Auckland, when Lieut 1C K. Zeigel, of the French battle cruiser JulesMichclet, delivered a most interesting lecture on Metallurgy and Electricity. l.ieut Zeigel said that France had not. and indeed, never would, have that kind of exporting organisation, founded on dumping, by which the Germans used to pour out cheap goods over the world and ruin local industries. French industry boasted a renown for fineness in execution and design. This extended in nK'tallnrgV as well as to other Industrie'-, and it was especially by these qualities that they Imped to develop exports. Another basis of the claim for a high place among metallurgical powers was the richness nt the soil in iron ore. The part ol frame in the world’s iron ore reserves was S billion tons, more than halt the ore existing in Europe, Germany coming next, with two billion tons only, since the war. which had given France hack two and a-half million tons with redeemed Lorraine. Iron ore is chiefly phosphorus, ami its extraction began only in 18SI). when lie Thomas Converter had been invented in England, and the basic Martin furnace in France. Ibn the raoidity of its increase was remarkable. Notwithstanding the lack id’ coal and the h,ck of labour, which had to he recruited everywhere, .the ext raid ion _ in 1-ke Eastern district grew from h2,f)()o tons in to two million lons in

1913. while the total extraction in From c grow from 2.8 to 22 million tens. Meanwhile now mines lm<l Toon discovered in Normandy and Algeria. Pig ii-nii nnil stool production increased accordingly, ami (hiring the ton last years lieforo the war quicker than in another country, excepting ilclgnini, from 1903 to 1913. the increase being M2 per cent Prance held in 1913, the fourth rank among metallurgcial powers, producing 5,200.000 tons ol pig iron, and ■1,700,000 lons of steel. Hut the creator part of the steel works was either in the north, in the coal mines district, or in the east, on the site of the ore deposits, so that when the Germans invaded in 1911, they found their productive capacity reduced to •JO per cent for coal, to 3(5 per cent for pig iron, and to 38 nor cent tor steel. Then fine of the highest viororie- of

the war 'ia? won h\ tie- t reue'i metallurgists, amidst a thousand diffioultios, the lack' of coal and labour being the principal olios. New works were put down and equipped in an extraordinarilv short time, and very lapi-dv also reached an unprecedented out pul. Woduetiou ot pig i:eii, which had fallen limn 5,297,900 tons in 1913 to 980,090 tens >. v the end of 191 !. rose again to I ! 17.tHI!i ions in 191(5. and 1,(581,099 tons ill 1918. Steel output was developed in a similar proportion; electro 'lool in particular passing from 21,000 In ■(•..000 tons hv the building of 22 nov

I furnaces. SYSTEMATIC DEV A STATION. While French metullurgisl s thu* Ijafiled the enemy’s intent of suppressing otir means of production ot guns and shells, the works situated in the imaded regions underwent a eareiul devastation, systematically carried out by the invaders with the sole object ol ruining Ere nob industries, and of ensile gaining after the war a marked economic supremacy. The Peace Treaty gave hack Lorraine which had produced in 1913 21 million tons ol iron ore. 3,700,000 tons ot coal j 3.7,30.000 tons of pig iron, and 2,28(5,01)0 tolls of steel. Si ill the production of coal in I'ranee, owing to the total destination of the northern collieries, was diminished by 30 million tons—and was stiil so now hv 20 million.

France was highly qualified for all industries consuming energy m the electrical form, on account of the great quantities of hydraulic power afforded by the Alps and Pyrenees. The big livers that descend therefrom have a very regular course, owing to their glaciers and persistent snows. Tim power available is. at medium waters, 9.2011,009 h.p.. the railed States only coming before bianco in that respect, with 30.000,000 h.p., and next Xorway with 7..100.000 h.p. KI.FCTIUC POWER:

Of that huge reserve only 1,000.000 h.p. .about 12 per cent) )like in other countries, was equipped at the beginning of the war. The war showed Fiaiieo the necessity of developing those insl a 1 lat ions, so as to lxjeome loss dependent on other countries lor coal. , i rvwhcre new stations wore limit. nearly doubling the equipped power in four years, ft now attained 2,100,000 h.p.. and 300,000 more would lie completed with the next two years, t ndei such circumstances, electrical indnslm could bid develop itself rapidly In Prance. It did so, notwithstanding the heavy competition o! Gorman manufacturers, who had taken considerable advance. In 1010 exports of electrical machinery did not attain hall imports; in 1013 the proportion rose to 82 per cent. France was since 1907 the first aluminium producer in Europe: French concerns produce 18,000 tons in prance. 12,000 toils in Norway, and 2100 tons in Italy, 32,000 tons total, while Gernmny produeos Id.ooo tons. Great Britain anil Switzerland 12.000 tons each. French aluminium producers are grouped since the war and can export aluminium at prices far below those of any othei cotin tr v.

A very important industry was tlio fabrication of pipes and tubes for gas. water, or air mains. For cast iron, the old Coin pan v of Pont a Mohsson had laid big mains in the whole world, prodiieing'llO.OOO tons of pipes per annum. „f which half were exported. For steel pipes the principal firm was The -Man liesmann works of lions sur Sarre "him lmd laid 2-3,000 miles of mains in too Whole world. French locomotive and rolling-stock construction was also renowned. The Schneider works only could put out 300 locomotives per annum, and have equipped c-ompletelv the Pekmg-R ankow linos in China, to quote only a recent example. , , . . •_ The energetic men who bad done tins -who have"not lost heart at seeing the result of 30 years' toil destroyed- ally deserved reaping the reward of then efforts. They hoped to get it from their truest and best friends abroad in the shape