Show Hollanders Restoring Ruined Land to Arability THE HAGUE The war cost Holland more than a n million acres of arable land but most of it is ex ex- expected expected ex- ex expected to be restored this year About OO acres acres of soil were inundated some acres by salt water j jA I IA A further acres were used for minefields fortifications and Air flir- Airfields air airfields I fields about acres could not be properly cultivated and thou thou- thousands thousands thousands sands of farms were destroyed or damaged The restoration is being carried out where possible by the farm farm- ers They receive a n government grant averaging about guilders The restoration work is aided by bythe bythe bythe the state service for agricultural re re- recovery recovery re- re recovery covery laborers are engaged in leveling small Inundation dams built by the Germans filling up tank ditches bomb holes and shell craters demolition of fortifications closing of several hundred miles of trenches intersecting arable land In 1945 about acres of grass grass- grassland grassland grassland land destroyed by inundation were The remaining acres will be sown in 1946 |