FUTURE OF FRANCE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26081, 19 February 1946, Page 4

FUTURE OF FRANCE

WORK OF RECONSTRUCTION TIES WITH NEW ZEALAND (P.A.) WELLINGTON, Feb. 18. Since 1939 France had always carried on with the fight, said the French Minister to New Zealand, M. Armand Gazel, in summing up the French war effort in the course of an address today to the Civil Service Institute on “France in the War and in Postwar.” M. Gazel said that, while outside the country the French Army was being reorganised bv General de Gaulle, inside the country underground movements were being organised. They were a great help to the Allies when they invaded France. One hundred and fifty thousand men were either shot by the Gestapo or killed in action during the fight for liberation. One Million War Victims “ Out of a population of 40,000,000, we lost 600,00 U killed, either on the battlefields, from air raids, or from death in concenttation camps in Germany,” M. Gazel continued. There were also half a million wounded and disabled, half of them, from concentration camps, making a total of 1,100,000 victims. Plundered by the Germans, France was still suffering, he continued. Food rations went down to 1200 calories, and they were now below 2000. _ln England the ration was above 2500. A total of 1,800,000 houses had been destroyed or damaged, and 6,000,000 people had been deprived of their homes. The total destruction amounted to £12,500,000 in New Zealand currency. , . . The Minister said that both in the political and economic spheres France was engaged in reconstruction. In Indo-China, which had a status very similar to that of a British dominion France was showing her intention of reorganising her Empire along the lines of a Commonwealth. In France in the last 15 months 200,000 houses had already been repaired, and 8,000,000 square feet of provision hutting had been built. Out of 600,000 bridges destroyed, 5000 had already been repaired. , The monthly traffic through the ports was increasing. In September, 1944 the production index had fallen to 13 per cent, of the 1938 figures. It had now risen to 50 per cent. So far as spun wool was concerned, he gave the following figures:—l93B, 8,400,000; 1944, 300,000; 1945, 4,000,000. “In connection with our trade balance, we have some very important orders to place,” said M. Gazel. "Unfortunately at present France is not exporting to New Zealand.” Problem of Germany As to the German problem, M. Gazel went back to 1870 to stress that after three invasions France was primarily concerned to ensure a lasting peace. “The mistakes of the Treaty of Versailles must not happen again,” he said. “ German unity was an artificial creation.” „ , , _ M. Gazel added that a Federal Constitution was more appropriate both to the nature of the German peopie and to the needs of Europe. France was heartily willing to work with the United Nations Organisation, and was desirous of close collaboration with Great Britain, her dearest ally m Western Europe. “To strengthen the ties of friendship which join France and New Zealand,” said M. Gazel in conclusion, “is the purpose of my mission."