REBUILDING FRANCE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1223, 12 June 1919, Page 3

REBUILDING FRANCE.

One of the most interesting, as well as one of the most important, proposals yet put forward in regard to the stupendous work of rebuilding the devastated areas in France is that for co-operative action discussed, recently, by Viscornte dc Souza, who is devoting himself with energy to this task. The fact of the matter is that the problem facing the French people in the desolated regions of their country is quite unique, and there is, thus far, outside of France itself, and indeed outside of the area itself, amongst those who have never witnessed the ravages for themselves, a quite inadequate conception of the work that is to be done. As Viscornte de Souza puts it, the delimitations of property have disappeared, the inhabitants have fled, and these regions resemble a Sahara in which numerous towns are buried, and in which there exist only a few oases. Over 3000 towns, villages, and hamlets have been completely blotted out. The walls have been levelled, the building material used to mend the roads, and every landmark is gone. In addition to this, as Marcel Sembat, then Minister of Works, pointed out more than two years ago, tremendous changes have been brought about in many districts in the actual configuration of the country. The land has been torn up, and, in many cases, changed out of all recognition by ceaseless bombardments. Then again, as the Germans retreated towards their frontier, and the Allies advanced, new roads were constructed in all directions, in numerous instances quite regardless of the roads that had previously existed. These new roads forsake old lines, and open up new country, so that it is already a matter of earnest consideration, in many cases whether any attempt should be made to restore the former topography rather than plan the whole district anew. But the effect of the devastation goes even farther than this. It has changed the possibilities of the whole district. Thus, as the Viscornte de Souza explains, the town of Montdidier, to take only one instance out of very many, if built up again on the site it occupied before the war, will be obliged to abandon its traditional agricultural pursuits, for the neighbouring fields have been so completely ploughed up by shells that no trace of agricultural soil is to be found, and agriculture is out of the question. In these circumstances, faced as they are by quite exceptional conditions, the authorities must be prepared to take exceptional measures. The proposed co-operative societies bid fair to supply just that united effort which is so much needed, if the work is to be carried through with that thoroughness and expedition which are so urgently necessary. At first, it>appears, the proposal for such societies met with a considerable degree of opposition in many quarters, where it was regarded as a menace to the liberty of property, but it is welcome to find that this prejudice is rapidly breaking down. There is no question of attempting to establish a union between large and powerful firms in order to monopolise all local work, but, on the contrary, the object is to furnish the builders of the regions with the means of working of which they have been deprived. Over and above this, however, the utmost co-operation in this matter is essential, and those who appreciate the importance of such united effort will join in "This talk of keeping everything Viscornte de Souza's hope that the system may be applied to the whole reconstruction problem.