The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-10
Describe as Being Sat
isfactOry EYeryWhere.


49,
VIENNA. Jan. 1.-(correspondence
of The Associated Press -Econom
conditions in Austria Hungary. Ger
many. Bulgaria, and Turkey are de-
scribed as satisfactory In a number Of
reviews OF the past appearing In the
Austrian press. Articles on the sub
ject keep the war in mind, naturally,
and whatever is said has the intention
Of the Entente to starve the Central
Powers into submission as back
ground.
All writers agree in protesting that
the almost total cessation OF import,
due to Great Britain's attitude on con.
traband, has been q blessing In dis
guise for the Central Powers, though
most annoying at time. Unable to I'M
port from oversee markets what for
Fmerly had come from abroad, Austria
Hungary and Germany; the writer's
point out, modified economically
shortly after outbreak of the war. The
utilization of home resources and the
prevention OF waste. and later the par
| tial withdrawal from general consump'
ition OF stuffs and materials needed 10
carry on the war, made the two en-
pires economically self-contatned. SCI
ence contributed much to this. The
result was that while the Entente
bought in foreign countries, the Cen
trail Powers, unable to do SO. kept the
money which otherwise would have
gone out of the countries. Today the
population of the two empires has be.
come accustomed to the frugality and
self-denials which conditions imposed
and those who judge the situation
psychologicalIy assert that the degree
| Of asceticism which has been fostereo
\ in this maner has become an import
ant causal agent Of military spirit and
strength.
The economic scheme which the
war forced upon Central Europe IS
not without its novel and interesting
features. In the first place the. theory
that money was likely to be the Dig
gest factor in modern war has been
exploded. say the writer's. 1t has been
proven that the capacity to resist
economicallyis more important, con-
dition which presupposed both the
availability of raw material and a good
industrial organization. Germany, IL
lis pointed out, possessed the latter 10
high degree, and, only supported by
Tits scientists, the empire was in po-
sition not only to obtain maximum re-
suits from its resources and stores,
but to augment them, principally by
the aid OF its well-developeds chemis-
try and physical sciences. Austria
Hungary followed suit, so that at, the
beginning OF the year 1915 most chan
nels leading to economic waste naa
been shut.
one Of the most disquiting problems
was that of metals for military pur-
] poses, notably tin, copper, and nickel,
The metals were needed in large guam
titles; copper. for the guide changes
Of tho artillery projectiles, and copper
and tin together, in THE form OF orass
for 'shrapnel' heads and rifle cartridges
while nickel was required for the shell
or mantels OF, rifle bull cts. Iron ana
steel. were available in unlimited guam.
titles. Much copper tin, brass ana
nickel were during the summer turn
ed over for use Of the armies by the
population: Thousands OF tons we're
|unearthedS I'M the metal campaign.
These are still going on. but with the
1 taking of, Serbia and thesopening OF
the road to Turkey oppersand tin are
now no longer on the list OF worries.
Copper is produced I'm onsideraole
quantities in Serbia, Bulgaria and
1 Turkish Asia Minor. the latter coun-
try also producing tin:
r. Chemicals and other. substances
needed for the manufacture OF explo-
siyes have never been really scarce.
This is especially true. Of cotton, one
81 the principal Ingredients Of tri-ni;
trocelluiose explosives, Of which gun
cotton is the best known. It is.cont
sidered likely that the costly methods
in which some Of the chemicals were
won, from the nitrogen Of the air, for
instance, will be superfuous as soon
as transport conditions from Anatolia
have become normal. In that part OF
the ottoman empire many of the ele'
ments needed in pyro-technic chemis.
try are found.
The food question, by. reason OF It's
magnitude, requires much thought and
1