WAR-TORN SPAIN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 113, 16 May 1939, Page 7

WAR-TORN SPAIN

WORK OF REBUILDING ENORMOUS TASK AHEAD «> A major item in Spain's big war bill will be the cost of replacing wrecked buildings and rebuilding devastated towns. The work already is well under way, but "it will be a long time before the total cost can be determined accurately, writes Sam Brewer from Burgos to the "Chicago Tribune." Damage already known and appraised amounts to approximately 200,000,000 dollars (£NZ50,000,000) for buildings and other structures alone. That does not include any. of the damage in territory recently taken over by; General Francisco Franco's Government. But with the extra cost of'clearing the wreckage for rebuilding and with the large areas where damage: has not been surveyed, it is believed a thousand million dollars is a conservative estimate of the cost of reconstruction in this one field. Already there is a special department of the Ministry of the Interiorknown as the National Service of Devastated Regions—which is busy surveying the damage and planning repairs. In Barcelona alone, officials point out, more than 1500 buildings have been seriously damaged, including most of the churches and many big public buildings. While the damage is spread through-out-the country, some cities and towns have suffered much more than others. Some are practically untouched, while Teruel, Belchite, Nules, Tortosa, and Gandesa have been almost wiped out. Others only slightly less damaged include Lerida, Huesca, Guernica. Irun, Eibar, Castillon de la Plana,' Gerona, Figueras, Toledo, Penarrova, Malaga, Oviedo, Villanueva de la Serena, and Tarragona. In large areas of the Aragonese Pyrenees, and the valleys of Bielsa and Biescas it is reported nearly all the villages have been destroyed, and hundreds of towns in other urovirices will have to be almost rebuilt. WORK ALREADY IN PROGRESS. Almost since the war began efforts have been made to undo damage. Much of the labour is supplied by war prisoners. t , When an "area was captured, roads and railway lines were given attention first to allow transport of troops,, and supplies to go on. Highways were cleared of wreckase and buildings put into order for billets and first aid stations.

One of the most urgent problems is rehousing families whose homes were^ wrecked in the fighting.

One of the inevitable problems at the end of a war is getting men out of the army and back to civilian life. In this case many thousands will be used to rebuild towns and roads and bridges. That will keep th,em employed until; as the work tapers off, they will find their way back to normal jobs. Besides restoring the country from war damage, the work will help to eliminate unemployment, one of the great aims of the new Goyerr&iieiA. High as the cost will be; :the-Span-iards expect to make their task easier than it would appear to be from the bare figures by using Spanish materials wherever possible. Spanish workers could, if necessary, be paid in paper notes not backed by metal, which would give the effect of a national- loan, without interest and save the country from having to go abroad for costly loans. ■ . ' :; When it is necessary to buy.abroad, j the plan is to use barter arrangements to avoid the need for gold oir foreign currency. From one point of view the war damage is expected to do the country good, when once it has been repaired. Thousands of old or even obsolete buildings will have been: replaced with more modern and healthier ones.