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Show MORE COAL FOR FRANCE. The capture of Lens by the British troops will prove a veritable boon to the people of France this winter, for it insures an increased coal supply. It is quite possible that the Germans may be driven from all the coal fields of northern France in the course of the next few weeks and lose their own Lorraine Lor-raine mines in addition. Capture of the coal mines early in the war resulted in much suffering in France and placed an awful strain upon the . producers of Great Britain. Eventually this country was forced to face fuel difficulties due, in some measure, to the same cause. The situation is not nearly so bad as it was last year, and the British victory at Lens still further increases our sense of security from the howling blasts of winter. On the other hand, the German coal supply has been shortened and the prospects for a still further curtailment are very good indeed. The Huns will be more than ever inclined to make peace along about January or February on account of food and fuel shortages, lack of iron ore and pretty much everything every-thing else needed by the people in war or peace. We suppose an attempt was made to destroy the Lens coal mines before the Germans evacuated that section, sec-tion, and, no doubt, they will do much damage in the other mining districts dis-tricts before they retire. The French engineers, howover, have considered that possibility and have made their plans accordingly. It is therefore practically prac-tically certain that coal mining will shortly be prosecuted wdth great vigor in the evacuated portions of northern France, In any event, the Germans have lost one source of supply. |