Smashed Porcelain

Dead giveaway of Adolf Hitler's intention to run his conquered European countries as auxiliaries to a dominant industrial Germany was last week's announcement that minimum tariffs had been "granted" by the French Vichy Government to all German goods entering France or French colonies.

An even lower "special reduction" applied to table and kitchen porcelain and tea and coffee services of German clay and make. It could mean that the great French porcelain industry was the first to be smashed to bits in converting France into a strictly agricultural nation.

Hardest hit city was Brittany's Quimper, favorite butt of French wits because of its extreme provincialism, centre since 1690 of kilns and workers supplying France with common porcelain ware, the thick soup plate, the humble pot de chambre.

Not so directly affected was the Limoges (Haviland) porcelain works in central France, world-famed for delicate, artistic craftsmanship. Germany might keep that alive in hope of recovering U. S. markets, but at the moment, with France worrying more about food itself than the dishes it was served on, Limoges porcelain had already gone to pot.

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