FRANCE TO-DAY

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21525, 15 July 1935, Page 12

FRANCE TO-DAY

Effect of the Crisis Discussed DEPRESSED INDUSTRIES

A first impression that New Zealand is really a prosperous country has been gained by Mr D. P. L. Sauze, of Paris, during the few days he has been in the Dominion. Mr Sauze, who arrived in Christchurch on Friday, lias since the war been associated with the French motor manufacturing firm of Renault and Company, but before 1914 he was. for a time secretary to the iamous ■Fronch sculptor Rodin. His stay in New Zealand, he considered, had not vet been long enough to permit him any more than this general observation, but the air of prosperity which had attracted his attention was in great contrast to what was to bo seen in many parts of France.

Many changes had been brought about in France by the pressure of the financial difficulties of the last few years. Formerly France had been almost over-run by tourists of all nationalities who found it cheaoer to live there than in their own" countries. The alteration of exchange rates following on the abandonment-of the gold standard by England and other countries had made living in France dear for these people, and this, helped of course, by the effects of the depression in (heir own countries, had compelled them to stay at home, with Hie result, that the great French tourist industry, with all i'-s subsidiary •'"-' , >" vitics was tremendously diminished.

Effect oi Depression France had been later than many other countries to feel the serious effects of the depression, but her problems were as real as any. From the peasant working his few acres of land and dependent on the sale of vegetables or small fruits for a living to the lace-maker coworker in a silk manufactory, the people hud felt its effects. Two months ago when lie left France the number of unemployed was diminishing, but it was still certainly very large'. The lace-making industry of the north of France, particularly in the area with Calais as centre, had received a great .set-back in the last few years/ This town, whose whole life really depended on lace making, was now completely at a stand-still industrially. Its trade had in fact been taken over by England. Another depressed industry was silk-weaving, which was centred principalis- at. Lyons. Two factors had operated to produce this effect, the one being the general crisis, which meant that people had less money to spend on all things, and the other being the development of the artificial, silk industry. It was natural that in the depression all the activities concerned with women's fashions .should have suffered a severe setback. What had really happened was something beyond the mere effect of a money shortage. Formerly Paris had been the undisputed world centre for women's fashions, which went thence to London and New York, and were then distributed over the rest of the world. Now, however, London and New York had become their own originating centres for fashion, and except for a certain small and very hifih-nriced type of goods, Paris had lost its preeminence in this field.

Transport Developments One of the most interesting recent developments in transport in France had been the tendency to replace tramway systems by the more mobile bus services. This had become more noticeable recently, apparently because the number ot persons travelling had fallen greatly, until it was below the number required for economic operation of tramway services. Consequently tramway.-; were tending more and more to be replaced by motor-omnibus services, which had a more flexible range of movement, and could be run efficiently with fewer passengers than tramcars. One aspect of this development was that, the motor omnibuses would be available for use as military transport in the event of war. Actually the organisation for their transference to this employment at short notice had already been set up. No individual person wanted war, but conflict arose almost spontaneously in Europe, and a country had to be prepared for it. In spite of the. ill-effects of the depression the Renault factories continued to be the greatest motormanufacturing concern in France, and the second largest in Europe, employing 30,000 persons. Besides motor-cars and heavv vehicles, the firm manufactured military material, tanks, diesel engines, and aeroplanes.