THE NEW BELGIUM

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 20, 19 October 1920, Page 2

THE NEW BELGIUM

HER RAPID RECOVERY

ALMOST COMPLETE 'RESTORATION

The surprisingly quick restoration ofBelgium is the subject of two articles in. recent English magazines:— The first, of these,- entitled "The Recovery of Belgium," is written by 3L Jimila Camnmorts, mid appears in the "Contemiwary." thiring the first weeks after the armistice there was a 'disposition among- Belgians not to worry themselves unduly about the future; they still regarded themselves as the ali-dcserviivr heroes of 1914, to whom immense credits would bo opened, and unlimited supplies sent, by a grateful Britain and America; Necessarily there followed a period of disillusion. Her Allies were over-occu-pied with their internal difficulties; scarcely' any raw material ..arrived at Antwerp or Ghent; and the cost of living rose substantially. To make matters worse, Belgium's belief in a glorious poll, tical future received a rude shock by the substitution of Geneva for Brussels as the seat'of the League of Nations, and by the treatment ot her affairs by th« Pans Conference.

Then, however, tier war debts were remitted by her Allies,- a first instalment of JlOfl.OOO.OOO'onthe war indemnities was promised her, anifiiopc, accompanied by a practical determination to set » work, revived. . Railways Restored. -. Jl". Cammaerts writes:—"The first tas'l to bo undertaken was the restoration ot the means of communication. The success achieved in this direction by the Ministry of Railways, Tinder the strong control'of M. Renkiri, is by far the most striking feature of Belgian revival It 1913, 3500 trains ran every day on Ihfr Belgian' railway system, carrying an average of 250,000 tons. At the tinio of the armistice all bridges and double-tracked lines north and .west of Brussels wore completely «r pavtiidly destroyed oyer 5, distance of a thousand miles, the signalling system was out of order all over the country, most of the rolling stock had been taken away, anß there were only 500 engines left in the coimtrv. > "In December, IUI9, 90 per cent, of the goods traffic, was restored, and nn averngs of 171,000 tons per day was being carried. Within 12 months, in spite of the difficulty of-getting back from Germany, either the Belgian rolling stock or Merman wagons, in spite of many obstacles arising from labour difficulties and latk of building material, the whole Belgian railway system, with the exception of a few secondary' lilies, whose total length does not exceed 30 miles, was again in full activity, the only noticcablo changn being the reduced speed of the trains, owV to signalling difficulties.' "Within a few months the canals ha<J b<?c-n cleared and the road system, which Sad been damaged or destroyed over a length of 1000 miles, practically restored, vc that Belgium found berself in posses sion of all her means of communication long- lx-fore her trade and industry' wero !-read.v to make full use of them. But. the passenger services were at once taken advantage of bv crowds of Belgians eager to travel freely after having been so long hampered in their movements." Lethargy in Rebuilding This moves the London "Review of Itsviews" to remark that the contrast between'the Belgian and the British handling of the transport problem is not flattering to Britain's national pride. It states-.— "Tho worst handicap in Belgium ho* been the deliberate destruction by ths Germans of industrial plants. The removal of machinery was not so soriom, sinco the Germans left card indexes behind them, and it was possible to locote and retrieve the stolen articles within a few months. But the total ruin of such iron and coal works as those of John Cockcrill, near Liege, and those in Hainnult and Charleroi, was a different matter. Nevertheless,'■ taking alt industries together, 70 per cent, of the pre-war personnel arc at present employed. "Amonx the food industries it may be noticed that, the sugar factories have already exceeded the pre-war production, and are able to export. "Onlv in housing has failed as yet to make much headway; this matter! according to M. Cammaerts, was deliberately postponed unlil the question of transport had been dealt with." • Meanwhile, as Mr. .Tubus Price, writing on "The Recoii.s.trnctioii of Belgium, in tbc "Fortnightly" (March) points out, the question of temporarily sheltering the houseless population of the devastated areas has bpen partly solved by the erection of wooden barracks: "but the accommodation so ftr is to'ally inadequate to meet the demands." Mr. Price does not take so chnerful-a view of the progress "iade as docs M. Cammaerts. He remarks upon R certain lethargy in the authorities; and a very varying; degree or energy in different districts, and stntes:"Whilst in some places rehabilitation has been undertaken with- reroarkabl* energy the only traces of devastation being the numbers of. new buildings one B ees on all sides—in others the magnitude of tho task facing them appears to .hurequite sapped tlie activity of the woptt, with the result that grass is rapidly obliterating the ruins, left by the Germans. Speculation Active, As regards capital, he says:—"A somewhat curious state pf affairs exists; there is a wavo of speculation about, and' everyone who win scrape together a few francs seems to be taking a hand in the game. Industrial shares, the Exchange-all, m fact, that presents a'sporting chance, of 'making a bit.' One is constantly overhearing 'Stock. Exchange talk' in railwar carriages nnd other ■ places. "Every factory or mme is vn full swing to-daT. Manufacturers of tissues • have enough work for tho next-three years, nnd will not accept any more orders. The same thing is told you with regard to glass, coal, • ironworks, electrical plant, and machinery. ■ ' "Never has there been such prosperity among the working classes as at present. There arc no unemployed in Charloroiunless a man does not want to vrork, you are told-pauperism is unknown, and charity organisations no loiwer exist. The money that is being earned by every class of worker here would have appeared tabu-louG.jn.pre-wai: day*; 17. t0.20 francs per day for minors; labourers' in the. metal works, 13 francs; in the. glass factories, ,£6O to £SH> per month, with an eigluhour day, and double pay when working on Sundays. - ■ ■ Mr.- Price does ■ not display the same optimism as M. Cammaerts, but his fact* point to the-same-conclusion—that. Belgium is at least on th» high road to a wonderful recovery, ft may. fairly be said that she has done mere towards her complete rehabilitation .than any. one of her allies, although-, her initial d sadvantages were at least,as great as those of any of the Entente countries.