RECONSTRUCTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 17 June 1921, Page 5

RECONSTRUCTION.

THE FRENCH RECORD. WONDERFUL RESULTS ATTAINED. By Telegraph.—Press Assn. —Copyright. London, June 15. The Paris correspondent of the Morning Post interviewed M. Loucheur, who said that France had already spent 22,000 million francs' in reconstruction work, plus 3000 millions on repairing roads, railway? and canals. Over 1500 miles, or 90 per cent of the ruined railways had been reconstructed, 3800 millions spent on restoring factories; that is 18 per cent of the total loss made good. Of 4,700,000 people who inhabited the devastated area, 4,100,000 had returned. Out of 6'00,000 houses destroyed 250,000 had been rendered habitable. Eighty per cent of the land had been cleared of projectiles and was again under crops. The sum of 2500 million francs had been spent on restoring agricultural land. M. Loucheur considers that reconstruction should be done by the localities under the control of the central Government. Fortunately the prices of coal and labor are falling, so that reconstruction is possible. It would be a mistake to employ German labor, as it would be paid in foreign money, which would be fatal. M. Loucheur is engaged in a series of conferences with Herr Rathens, German Minister of Reparations, which are likely to have important results.—Aus.-N.Z. Gable Assn.