However, with these
territorial divisions General Lyautey assured the safety of all that
portion of the empire that was in his care; he finished the operations
he had commenced; he maintained French prestige and, some months later
on, he found means to open at Casablanca a Moroccan exposition which
showed the marvelous work that had been accomplished in that
country--French for a few years only.
The French colonies not only remained incomparably calm and peaceful
but they also made a marvelous effort in coming to the aid of the
mother country both with men and with their commerce.
M. Ernest Roume, Governor General of the Colonies, in charge at the
war's beginning of the government of Indo-China, sent to France more
than sixty thousand native soldiers and military workers in eighteen
months. They were recruited from the Asiatic possessions of France.
In Senegal, in Soudan and in Morocco men volunteered by hundreds of
thousands. Moroccans, Kabyles and blacks came to fight by the side of
the French troops on the Champagne and Lorraine fronts.
Besides, North Africa largely took care of the feeding of France.
In 1914 the cereal crop had been notably deficient in Algiers and
especially in Tunis. However, Algeria did not hesitate to give the
mother land all the grain she asked for; 50,000 quintals of wheat and
500,000 quintals of barley and oats were thus hastened to continental
France, and in addition, 40,000 quintals of wheat went to Corsica and
130,000 to Paris.
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