The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-01
ZEPPELIN MAKERS
ARE LOSING MONEY
$375,O0O Took Wings With
Three Big Ships
IMMIGRATION HEAVY
From Hamburg and Bremen $4,000
Left for the United States in the
Month of April-White Plague
Checked in Prussia

Berlin, May 31-About the quickest pos
sibe way to lose money in Germany is
to buy a Zeppelin, according to the an
nual report of the German Airship com
pany just made public. Exactly 50 per
cent of the $75O,ooo invested by the COM
pany took wings with its three big air.
ships in 1912. The loss of the Schwaben
covers most of the big deficit: a back
ward spring end a rainy midsummer
are held culpable for another large sum;
the unwillngness of the public to travel
by way of the clouds is blamed not at ALL
for 5000 passengers paid their way on the
aircraft and, in addition, unnumbered
hundreds of army officers were carried
gratis.
The report of the companys loss reads
not unlike the resume of lean year on
the farm April and May banner months
for sky-plots, brought little sunshine and
much cold weather. Fickle winds blew
about the sheds and for many days none
of the big ships stirred from its aerial
moorings. June and July were fair-and
the Schwaben was destroyed. For 10
days during the height of the best season
factories worked day and night to replace
launched the best of the flying weather
had passed. However. the Schwaben and
the Hansa made 173 trips between them
from April to December, and the Victoria
Luise, third and last of the air fleet, made
30 per cent more trips than both of them
combined 225 in all. before she was
placed out of commission in November.
The winds will be shorn of their ter
rors in the future, however, by devolving
airsheds which can be so manipulated as
to bring out ship in the teeth of any
air current of moderate velocity. The
high military value of the Zeppelins, more
than anything else, perhaps, IS responsi-
BILE for the innovation, as the army de-
mands air vessels that may be used un-
der all atmospheric conditions.
Cost of War
What the Zeppelins will cost in the
event of big war. rather than the bene
fits they will accomplish, is an item in the
latest estimate of the cost of Germany s.
uext war. Captain Henke of the German
general staff has been studying the finan-
cial end of such a war, ana has made
public his deductions. With 100000 men
in the field. he estimates that the father
land would spend $1,000 100000 a year
more than twice the present national debt.
This stupendous figure represents nearly
81 per cent of the earning capacity of the
entire nation on peace footing, Captain
This conclusion is reached by compar :
ing the costs of the Franeo-Prussian and
Russo-Japanese wars. In the Franco
Prussian war it cost Germany S1.43 a man
a day to keep its forces in the field; Rus
sia paid s2.3S a man a day during the
Manchurian campaign. Germany would
spend much as Russia. Captain Henke
reckons.. but would be able to afford It.
The earnings of the German people, Cap
tain Henke places at s7.140,0o 600. This
is in times of peace. What they would
be with 100000 men taken from the work
shops to the field he does not estimate.
Emigration Heavy
Emigration from Hamburg and Bremen
is heavier than it has been in years.
During April more than 1900 persons left
for the United States from these two
ports alone This was nearly double the
number that left in April. 19l2-76 per cent
more, to be exact Not since the tidal
wave of emigration in 1907 has the exo-
dus been so great.
Two causes are assigned for the active