Der Deutsche correspondent. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1841-1918, 1915-02-04
AMERICAS loss.


the spiritual and on the economic
field, rests on efficiency Efficiency
means that every human intellect is
/ developed TO it's maximum capacity
and provided with the best tools that
can be devised and that each in
tollcct is placed on the spot where
it can do the most good If there
has been any doubt that in this trial
for perfection the whole world is one
unit the present unfortunate strug-
gle must sweep away any such no
tion. On the way to efficiency the
world has been specializing for
years back. Every nation has en-
deavored to produce such goods as
the soil, the climate and the par
ticular instincts of the people yielded
in the best quality at the cheapest
( price. The basis Of such division
of labor has been the free and un-
interrupted interchange Of goods.
That means ample and cheap trans
portatiOn and an open sea to all in
] terested. 1t means, further, open
markets, a perfect credit system and
an undisturbed communication by
wire and by mail. And it means,
further, a friendly and trusting aiti-
tude between the parties to the ex-
change-that is, between the great
nations OF the earth.
The United States is a country of
/ very vast extent, with q comparative
| " sparse population and with enor-
mous natural resources. 1t is the
! CHIEF purvcyor to the world Of oil,
! lumber. cotton and copper It's
climate is perhaps the best for the
raising Of wheat and corn and food
stuffs and fodder of all kinds In
comparison to It's size this country
is not very highly industrialized, and
/ the rural population and those en-
gagged in the marketing of their pro-
/ duets preponderate. The scarcity of
hands has made this country essen
TALLY one noted for its extensive
cultivation and for its machinery.
Germany, on the other hand, is
the most intensely populated coun-
| try. There about 7O,0OO,0O0 people
are living in a territory not larger
/ than California. That means about
! thirty-five Germans to one Californ-
ian on the same area. Germany is
not rich in natural resources. While
we have an unlimited supply OF coal
and the only large deposit of potash
| in the world. our production in oil,
| copper and lumber is insufficient for
a highly progressive industry. Cot
ton we cannot grow at ALL SO the
German genius has had to be applied
! In the manufacture of highly finished
/ goods, importing raw stuffs not only
| for manufacturing purposes, but
/ also for home consumption. On this
basis an enormous trade has been
established between the United
States and my country OF cotton
no less than 2,150,O00 bales have
| been purchased here during the last
year. In copper Germany is the best
customer Of the United States. OF
wheat and lumber her purchases ia
this country have been constantly
| increasing.
All of these imports have TO be
paid for. They have been paid for
by an exchange OF commodities such
as fertilizers, dyostums, toys and an
! innumerable number of smaller ar
ticles which Germany by a most per-
fected system of applied science and
! technique is able to turn out cheaply
and in good quality
AS our imports from the United
| States are considerably larger than
our exports to the United States,
! Germany had to cconomize as much
as possible, and therefore she has
! built up q considerable merchant
marine for the cheap transportation
OF the intorchanged goods. a merch-
ant marine that for safety and re-
liability has won the favor of all
| customers and helped the United
! States to compete in the worlds
markets. The enormous service that
this merchant marine has rendered
! TO the United States may be seen
! from figures published the other day
| by the department of commerce and
labor, whore it is shown that, in
consequence Of Great Britain having
/ locked up all German shipping,
freights have risen to such an extent
! that continuation OF the present
condition Of things will mean q
sacrifice yearly of about half a bill
lion dollars to the United States.
Tho grain rate from New York to
English ports has risen from 4 to 16
cents bushel, the rate on cotton
from 20 to s cents a hundred, and
so forth all through the list. The
! German merchant marine has not
1 only served the United States in its
trade to Europe, but also in that
! large and promising field in the OK
/ bltlhc OlAliiis
The logical sequence of this inter-
change of goods is that the war with
Germany is q war against the United
! States. The stopping Of the German
! competition on the sea means q loss
Of 100000 to the people Of the
/ United States, as l have just shown.
The stoppage OF most OF the con-
veniences that Germany bought from
this country means perhaps more.
The absolute stopping of cotton ex-
ports to Germany would have meant
J a loss of $50 q bale. OF 100000. 900
: on the yearly export. What it means
in lumber you in this country can
| figure better than /.
But it is not only the loss on so
called "contraband articles that
weighs heavily. Business is even
moro unsettled in the articles that
/ are classcd as conditional contra
/ band" Conditional contraband"
means that belligerents have a right
to stop such shipments if they can
prove that they are destined for the