"Simply this," said the Frenchman. "I wish to order sufficient
automatics to meet the demand when peace comes."

This is the spirit of the awakened French industry. I know of half a
dozen automobile and other producing establishments who are making plans
to manufacture popular-priced cars when the war is over. This output
will not only affect the sale of American cars in France, but will also
interfere with the market for our cheap machines in South America.
Already France is making every effort to increase her Latin-American
trade. She has immense sums of money invested in Brazil and she will
follow up this advantage keenly.

It is important for us to remember that France like England will have a
well oiled productive machine after the war. It will not only be better
but bigger than ever before. The German ill wind that devastated the
northern section will blow good in the end. Hundreds of factories
operated by hand labour before the war will now be equipped with
American labour-saving machinery. The products of these machines
operated by cheap labour will be in competition with our own commodities
manufactured by more expensive labour in many of the markets of the
world.

Formerly the French artisan could produce an article almost from raw
material to finished product: now he has learned to stand at an
automatic and labour at a single part. In short, he is becoming a
specialist which makes him a cog in the machine of quantity output.

What is true of machines and men is also true of money. The old wariness
of the French banker in underwriting industry is passing away. He is
thinking in terms of large figures and vast projects.