Show o-i o ti r Returning Life s LOWLY but surely the devastated areas of northern France are being restored to o economic economic economic eco eco- life France is binding up her industrial wounds and bravely facing the future The ministry of the liberated regions has just justi i issued sued information relative to the resumption of operations by industrial establishments located in inthe inthe inthe the area area devastated by the war Counting only those establishments empl employing ying over twenty workers up to August 1 1920 a total of f establishments were noted in iQ the census ta taken takeji n by bythe bythe bythe the government Of this number or about 75 73 per cen cent anno announced that they they had resumed resumed operations in whole or in part In the department of and and Moselle Moselle p per r cent of the establishments had res resumed med operations in the Ardennes d department per percent percent percent cent were operating and in th the department of the Nord ord the proportion attained 80 per cent The city of Lille and the outlying districts show a remarkable increase in activity during past year per cent of f the industrial establishments having resumed business A large proportion of these establishments it is true are operating with only a part of th their ir normal equipment equip equip- ment of men and machinery But the recovery i 5 nevertheless rem remarkable The 3 1 06 establishments establish establish- i ments included in the census employed workers in 1914 and on August Augut 1 1920 they employed workers In th the textile metal metalworking metalworking working and pottery industries almost one half half of the normal number of workers have returned The sa same spirit that fought at the Marne arne and at Verdun seems to have animated the French Drench ministry of liberated regions |