THE RECOVERY OF FRANCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 284, 30 November 1928, Page 6

THE RECOVERY OF FRANCE.

According to Mr. J. R. Cahill, a distinguished commercial statistician, France daring the past seven years has enjoyed "signal, even unique, economic good fortune." She has experienced, with but slight occasional reverses, "most pronounced commercial and industrial prosperity." Remarkable proofs of her rapid recovery are the shortage of labour, the importation of 1,500,000 foreign workers, and the fact that while Britain has more than a million workers unemployed, loss than, a thousand French wage-earners are receiving unemployed relief. It is a wonderful story, a^ larly "* view of the expenditure of over £1,000,000,000 on the restoration of the devastated areas. No doubt France owes much to the industry and thrift of her workers and the wide distribution of land and wealth among her people. But much of her industrial success is certainly due to her system of Protection, which defends her produced against foreign competition. It may be added that Mr. Cahill regards "the payment of German reparation in kind" as Whlv beneficial to France; and we hope that British Free Traders will note the agreement between Mr. Cahill and Mr. Hoover on this point.