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Show rance Is Spending a Huge Sum on Reconstruction; Ilf 1EEK ARE BEING SIN TO TJEJEEOT In Department of the North Relief Has Been Afforded to 181,000 Poor Families. Big Undertaking Described in Detail by Prefect Who Is in Charge of the Work. By NEWTON C. PARKE, International News Service Staff Correspondent. LILLE, Dec. 27. ln the year tiiat has elapsed since the signing of tho armistice armi-stice which brought to an end the occupation occu-pation of northern France by the German the French government has spent mora than a 'billion francs (about $00,000,00'") in the work of reconsLkution of tho department de-partment of the north. In this department help hps been afforded af-forded to 181,000 families, enabling them to ' return to their homes and start life anew. When it Is considered that the department de-partment of Ihe north is only one of a. dozen departments devastated by the invaders, in-vaders, it will be seen that France i bending all her efforts to wiping out, as far as possible, tho physical traces, of the German occupation. The department of tlie north cove:s 222 S square miles and bad a population of l,fMil,7S0 at the beginning of tlie war. Outside the department of the keine. which includes Paris, it was the nics". populous; iu France. Work Is Described. M. Naudin, prefect of the department of the north, today described the work accomplished in the last twelve inonlhs by the service of reconstitution, which was organized at Lille on October l.v. HUS, right after tho Germans evacuated the city, and began work as soon as tlie armistice was signed. "Our first task." said M. Naudin, "was looking after the refugees who had fied from the district before the advancing Germans and desired to return to their homes without' delay. The number O: transport orders which we have issued up to date they cover 181,000 families shows that we have not lost any time. "In the course of the year, I might say practically all in the last four moot lis, we nave paid out more than a billion francs ln 'first aid' assistance in advance for the purchase of machinery and indemnities in-demnities for the destruction of property. prop-erty. Commission Named. "In December, 1918, was named president pres-ident of a central commission comprising I egiiteen members, selected from the leau-I leau-I ers of the industrial and commercial ! world of Lille, women who had devoted J themselves to charitable work and mem-I mem-I bers uf the hospital commissions. This commission is subdivided into two sub-commissions, sub-commissions, one of which takes care of purchases, while the other studies the best methods of distributing the large sums of money subscribed through ou i France for our department. "Besides money, we have received and given to the needy inhabitants since las'. January l.Sli.TL'O garments of all kinds. In the distribution of clothing we take Into account the population of each dis- trict and the extent of devastation. I "The subprefect of each arrondisse-ment arrondisse-ment has had charge of the actual distribution, dis-tribution, and lie is assisted in Ids task by commissions chosen by the municipal councillors, the re victualing commissions and the members of the services of charity char-ity of each commune. "They have instructions to devoto thA greater part of the supplies to helping old men and women, widows of soldiers kilted in the war and families where there arc many needy persons. Articles Distributed. "Among the art if 'lea distributed a -'first aid' were. TS.tiOU beds, which wee given to the needy people of thirty-ciynt communes. We hac purchased largu quantities of warm stuff for garments for i I women and young girls, as welt as undi:r- clothing for 'children. Fverythlug of this kind which remained when t hie f-Uockn of the public health service were liquidated liqui-dated has been taken over for th is purpose. pur-pose. "We have organized another kmd o" help, which is called the department o:' the north clothing bureau. Through 1 hi a office we supply women v 1th materials which they can use in making their own underwear. A similar bureau has beftfl established at Douai. Our idea in establishing es-tablishing this branch ot" our organization Juts been to give the people an on port u-uity u-uity to help themselves by their own I labor. Wh'ien. by next soring, the itihao-tants itihao-tants o' this department will. hope, have resumed their normal life, this department de-partment will look after i he iveds of new-born children and their mothers. Other Information. M. Leroy. secretary general of the re-eonst re-eonst tuition commission, ga ve some nio,-e detailed information regarding the work being pursued in the devastated regions of the north. "L'p to date." said M. Leroy, "wo have given pracrical aid to t;;ri.Rl1 refugee. ' Wo have organized a service for t he r. r;5 c i n g of ba g ga g e Ion t by these poo r people ou their way back to i heir lages. We have been able to find thousands thou-sands of packages lost uii trains or a: railroad stations. "The most important braneh of th ' reconstitution sendees jest now i.-; thai relating tu war damages. l-;;ert.s are at work all the r!me examining hilm;; ! with a view to getting agriculture started I again. So far tnoy have decided more ; than lOO.f'O demands for farm machinery i and appeals for building materials for the ! recous t ruction cf ruined homes. I "Our bureau is aiso eharired with mal'i-I mal'i-I ing advances to factory and mine owno;v. : To the fac'.ory owners we have, made ad-i ad-i vanct.'S i1 mounting to 7el',l'iL'.u00 francs, i while the mine owners have hencfited 'o the txle:it of 10.77".O0h fraji'-s." |