FRANCE TO-DAY

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 45, 17 November 1920, Page 10

FRANCE TO-DAY

—9 — . REPAIRING WAR DAMAGE. M'Ulo. Soubciran, who hns been working in Prance on behalf of .the French-Aus-tralian League. has returned to Sytfiioy, the, funds of the league having become :xlmuste(l. "The I'rench people are snowing a won[lerful sptrit," said lldlic" Sonbeiran. "Ail through (lie country one notes th» gradual building up of tho broken lands, and 'the faint but .true indication of the Franco that was before the war. The country is still very poor, as Gorman; has not yet paid any of tho money slw owe? to us. Tho Government is helping all it can, but the low exchequer and the uncertainty concerning" future revenue*, make it difficult to work upon any studied plan. Tho Basis of its system for reconstruction is the promotion of its agricultural pursuits, nnd the re-establish-ment of tho people on their farms nne: vineyards. Thoso in command reasons tint it was batter, with the small amounl of'money available, to spend it in this war rather than to build up the homes of tho people, nouses could not make nionev. But fields of gvniu could nuilcc monev, nnd with that money the people could" soon rebuild their homes, and pro vide thomselvcs with a source of income nt the same time. Consequently, grant* have been made to the villages, and tin money has been expended m the purchase of tools, grain, nnd in the clearing er, the land. One sees old men and women, the middle-aped, and even young children engaged in this tusk of clearing up the devastated country. . Shell holes wire I,ricks and mortar, and even elonet bodies Imve'Boen removed by those workors, ane tho result is t-lint to-day one may see en-eat wheat fields nnd farm lands where I short time ago there were stretches oi waste country. It is conceded to< bo n wonderful transformation. Experts wlic et "mined the land saiel it would not pr oi duce anything for years to come, am vet b'v M magic it is now yielding r lilenti'ful harvest. In sonic parts the ion is very thin, and unproductive, ..but hero forests are being planted, and in «, few years the ground will have, become enriched anel fertile. As a result of tins concentration on agricultural work rather than on rebuilding, . one sees strange-iboking .homes springing up >r ilio viilat'ea. The spirit of tiadition 1. trongWithin tho hearts of the I'rencl, So. They efleavo to the style of arcln : }ectm o favoured, by their forefathers, ane ire buileltng quaint co ages with what wer material is available. "As the work of restoration goes oil revive the various achvi hes of the neonle. But the work is slow, lake li inntter of tho schools for instance Thev caino under the direction of the >,iiii>icioaTity, .but where no ■ mumclja council existed the school had to b( fThe French-Australian League ,:L',eel 13 of thoso village schools, ami cavo a sufficient supply of materials te last for 12 months.'