'VICAR atone of tons of miners 1891 36.573 26,025 131.8 1895 38.640 28,020 137.3 1900 48,803 33.404 162.0 1905 48,600 35.928 175.1 1910 56,530 38.350 196.7 1911 59,530 39.229 200.2 1912 60.677 41.145 202.3 1913 40.813 from 1914 29,786 40.0 1915 19,750 to 50.0 As already expained, the coal mines of the North District cover a surface area of 109,000 hectares (269,339 acres) ; that is to say they are a very important proportion of the whole mining area in France. During the European War that district has been occupied by the enemy; on the other hand the scarcity of labor has been extreme during that same period. Such abnormal situation is sufficient to explain the decrease of output in 1914 and 1915.
The great mineral industries of France are naturally near the coal deposits. The only way they can be divided geographically is under the same divisions as the coal mines. But the chief centres can be especially noticed as fol lows: in Besseges (in Gard) where there are iron mines, blast furnaces, foundries, machine shops, turning-plate factories, smelting works, etc. Commentry-Fourchambault has blast fur naces, forges, foundries, wire-mills; there are machine shops for the manufacture of steel at Montlucon and at several points where these manufactures are exported, extending through Cher, Allier and the Nievre; at Creusot there is one of the most important metallurgic estab lishments in the world. Schneider & Co., which is situated in the centre of France. Henriche ment is joined to the railway of Bourgogne and Bourbonnais and connected with the Canal du Centre by a private railroad. Decazeviil is the most important metallurgic centre in the South; here are made rails, various iron mer chandise, cast-iron pipes for conduits, boilers, etc.
Manufactures.— There are factories in Fives-Lilles (Nord) and Givors (Rhone), chiefly making machinery used in the manufac ture of silk and plush, steam-engines, locomo tives, materials for constructing railroads, pig iron, and heavy metal work, etc. Indre, in the department of the. Loire, makes a specialty of marine constructions, torpedoes, large pieces of cast-iron boilers, etc. In Maubeuge (Nord) are the most important metal works and there are others in Longwy (Meurthe-et-Moselle), both near Belgium; and in Montataire, which contains other factories besides the one of that name; then comes Creil, celebrated for its parquet flooring, and the remelting of old iron, extensively used in the manufacture of tin; and then again the factories of Frouard, near Nancy, Bagugson in Meuse, and Outreau (near Boulogne-sur-Mer) ; Rive-de-Gier is an im portant centre for foundries, the manufacture of steel, steam-engines, wheels and material for building railroads; Saint Chamond, espe cially, is celebrated for the rolling of iron and steel; and lastly comes Terrenoire, where the pig iron of Ardeche is made into •iron.
The glass industry is brilliantly nr.•1 in France. Besides the manufacture carried on in the glass works of Mar.: de-Gier, Givors, Saint-Galmier, Vaux1x4 Epernay, Fourmies, Valenciennes, r: localities in the Jura, mention may be the celebrated factories for making in Aniche (Nord), Chauny and Sir (Aisne), and those for making cut z_ Baccarat (Meurthe-et-Moselle), when : dustry has reached great artistic exce:-.-: consequence of which a considerable exported.
Mention should also be made of it 7 ical works for the manufacture of acid and soda. These have warranted tion of large buildings; for instance, die: ical works in the North, the works Gobain Maletra, etc. At all these plas21 are mineral deposits. Other industry chemical character can be included group, like that of coloring matter, 6..1 representative of which are Saint Dc RhOne; fecula and amidine works, whic.,; in Nord; white lead, made in Nord as:: vicinity of Paris; tallow candles, in the departments of the Seine. -: Herault, and Bouches-du-Rhone; drat; ways located near textile factories.
Ceramics are among the great indaR France. The manufacture of porcelain cially centred in Limoges; square tiles ini beuge, faience in Chotsy-le-Roy, Giea c this group can be classed the manuiam cements in Boulogne-sur-Mer, and in fu. skirts of Grenoble; and the mining of as turn principally found in Savoie.
. We can also count among the gra ri tries of France the manufacture of ntai made boots and shoes in Blois, Fotegerect writing pens and pencils in clocks in Besancon; marble-cutting in cutlery in Chatellerault; perfumery C:. and in Grasse; gloves in Grenoble and : virons; soap in Marseilles and in the hats in Tours, Epinal and Paris, en ' picture trade in Tours, Epinal and Pars most celebrated manufactures of awe in the suburbs of Paris, etc. There are Ir. many tobacco and match factories. Art manufactured in Saint Etienne, cure Bourges, and tapestries (Gobelins) in Pr It must be said that all the infccF: above refers' to normal conditions in before the European War. The great ts facturing and industrial districts of Frn: ing situated in the North and the a great number of plants have been er, stroyed or entirely removed to Germai r all their machinery. No doubt all tbN tories will be rebuilt. Already in the and Alpine districts many factories bar. created, mostly for the production of tions, which hereafter will be turned •.: dustrial factories; the Alpine and Vosn tricts have been selected on account waterfalls, thanks to which electric be created without coal which has le scarce and so expensive in France do.: war. It may be added that all the used in these new factories is of the' up-to-date type and comes mainly frz United States of America.