UNHAPPY FRANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 January 1920, Page 5

UNHAPPY FRANCE.

DISORGANISATION OF TKADrf, ; '?| An unhappy picture of France, full ol after-war trials, is painted by, MS Georges B.ider, a member of the Smum Mission which visited New Zealand, itf a letter addressed by him to Mr. P. Davidson, president of the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. Writing from Sydney on January 4, just after Tils arrival from France, M. Bader said he was booked to sail during the middle pt August, but things were so disorganised in France that he remained there till October trying very hard to interest manufacturers in these faraway markets. The task, he says, was,not aa easy one and at times it was disheartening to see these people, full of energy, struggling against numerous difficulties. The approach of winter did not make things brighter. The shortage of coal was, of course, the most to be feared and although he was pessimistic when leaving France, his expectations of a hard winter were only mild compared with what had happened. "Everything," adds M. Bader, "seems to be against the restoration' (of Bjy'Ooor country" which has just gone the worst year of the last five. ■ So Voa

can imagine in such a calamitous taqfl-' what o poor ear would manufactured lend to any exhortations, and I sure you that had not I had strong mp*' 1 port from the Government I do not. think they would even have listened to.' me. Every manufacturer, large ot ; - small, found himself with enormous or* iU>rs in hand and no raw material—often no skilled hands, no coal.

"The Eight Hours Act voted last May, I think, came as the last blow. It ma a politicul affair but a very unfortunate one in the manufacturing world and the effects were soon felt, and very severely too. (Prices rose in no time by another 20. per cent and commodities when I left were out of reach altogether. The . ox-change which -we have had to bear these last twelve months on all purchases from Great Britain and th» United States, on practically every raw product, made living abnormally high, and of course Labor expected salaries In proportion. It is amidst all these difficulties that $e found France at our return last April and this present winter has come'as an extra burden with its-. numerous complications—no coal, congestion of traffic on railways, floods, influenza, etc "So at present it is practically impossible to trade with Prance." Referring to other members i>f the French Mission, M. Bader says;—"l am glad to say that I left General Pan- and all my friends in good health. They have all returned to their pre-war ocean*. Um>ll -- - ». ... .