"LENS MEANS COAL."

Taranaki Daily News, 28 October 1918, Page 3

"LENS MEANS COAL."

FAMOUS TOWN EE-CAPTURED. BIG ECONOMIC G3.IX TO USANCE. Tllie capture of Lens, from strategical reasons, is in one sense most interesting to the French public (writes a correspondent of the Toronto Globe). Lens means coal. The British penetrated its suburbs in what seems now to have been years ago. Their classic victory at Loos broiight them within sight of the pit-heads of Lens, but the entry into the promised land of coal was not then vouchsafed to them.

The economic gain io France, and, indirectly, io Britain, that will result from the recapture of Lens, is almost incalculable- Of the <00,000,000 tons of coal which France required before the war, she received 40,000,000 tons from her own mines, and 80 per cent, of this camo from England, 5,000,000 from Germany, balance was made up by 10,000,000 tons from F.nlgand, 5,000,000 from Germany, and 5,000,000 from Belgium. Owing to the German occupation of the Lens coal field the French output has been reduced to a minimum, while the amount formerly received from Germany and Belgiu has, of course, been non-existent. ■France, consequently, has had to depend for nearly four years on England to make up the deficiency. England, it is gratefully acknowledged, lias done her level best to accomplish the impossible.task of meeting the French demands, but naturally she lias been unable, owing to the lack of transport facilities and lier own small preparation for meeting the imperative demands at home, to do more than furnish a part of tbo coal. The result is that coal is so scarce in France to-day that suburban gas companies round Parjia have ail had to greatly curtail the output oE gas for heating and illumination, wlul(Tsome have been compelled to shut down entirely. Coal for domestic .consumption has been frequently unobtainable, while coke soared to impossible prices. As an example, I know" a suburban Paris municipality which this week offers coke as a special opportunity at 30 dollars a ton. Last winter many people, ofen among the wealthy class" of Paris, found the only place to keep warm was in bed. It may be judged from these facts how eagerly Paris is watching the British driving into Lens.

The question is as to tlie extant of wilful damage the Germans have been able to do to the pits before retreating. If the Germans, as seems certain, have prepared for widespread destruction of the mechanism of the mines, then it will 'be a long time before the pits can recommence working. The fear hero is that the Germans may have set fire to the pits, which -would be a much more serious matter than the mere destruction of the engines and limiting machinery, and it woidd take probably many months to extinguish the fires. In any case, Paris is resigned to the prospects that the winter will be well over before the mines in the liens coalfield will be working aagin. It is suggested Jiere that whatever damage the Germans may do to the pits they cannot destroy the coal, and that the withdrawal of the enemy from gun-fire range of the adjoining Bcthunc coal field, -which has been under bombardment for many months, will, to some extent compensate for the Lens mines being unworkable. In any case, it is honed, t.lie French military authorities will take immediate steps to comb out from the fighting ranks a sufficient number of trained miners to enable tlie taking of every advantage of tlie improved coal prospects in the north. Coal is a most vital need m every allied country, and toQ much importance cannot. be placed on its production, especially n til? immediate future.