The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-10
STARVING TEUTONS
is NOT SUCCESS
According to Reports from Vienna Eco
nomic Conditions are Declared to
Be Satisfactory-Cessation of
Imports Called
Blessing.

Blessing.
Vienna, Feb. TO- Economic condition,
/ in Austria Hungary, Germany, Bulgaris
! and Turkey are described as satisfactory
! in number of reviews of the year ap.
pearing in the Austrian press. Articles
on the subject keep the war in mind
naturally, and whatever is said has the
intention of the entente to starve the
central powers into submission as a
background
All writer's agree in processing that
; the almost total cessation of import, due
to Great Britain's attitude on contra
band, has been blessing in disguise for
the central powers, though most annoy
ing at times. Unable to import from
oversee markets what formerly had come
from abroad Austro- Hungary and Ger
many, the writer's point out, modified
economically shortly after the outbreak
of the war. The utilization of home re-
sources and the prevention of waste, and
ldbtT Iit DhAAid1 ilNhi ENhT
eral consumption of stuffs and materials
needed to carry on the war, made the
two empires economically self-contained.
Science contributed much to this. The
result was that while the entente bought
/ in foreign countries. the central powers,
unable to do so, kept the money which
otherwise would have gone out of the
countries To-day the population of the
two empires has become accustomed TO
the frugality and self-denials which con
ditions imposed and those who Judge the
situation psyehologieally assert that the
degree of asceticism which has been fos-
tered in this manner has become an i'm
portant causal agent of military spirit
and strength.
The economic schemes which the war
forced upon central Europe is not with
out its novel and interesting features.
In the first place the theory that money
was likely to be the biggest factor in a
modern war has been exploded, say the
writer's. 1t has been proven that the
capacity to resist economically is more
important, condition which presupposed
both the availability of raw material
and good industrial organization. Ger.
many, ii is pointed .out, possessed the |
latter to high degree, and, ably sup |
ported by its scientists, the empire was
in position not only TO obtain maxi |
mum results from its resources and !
stores, but to augment them, principal
ly by the aid of its wel-developed chem
istry and physical sciences. Austria I
Hungary followed suit, so that at the
beginning of the year 1915 most channels
leading to economic waste had been
shut.
One Of the most disquieting problems
was that of metals for military purposes, Il
notably copper, tin. and nickel. The met
ais were needed in large quantities; cop
per for the guide tinges of the artillery
projectles, and copper and tin together,
in the form of brass for shrapnel heads
and rifle cartridges, while nickel was re-
CURED for the shells or mantels of rifle 4
bullets. Iron and steel were available
in unlimited quantities. Much copper, .
tin, brass and nickel were during the !
summer turned over for use of the ar
mics by the population. Thousands of !
tons were unearthed in the "metal cam J
oaigns" These are still going on, but !
With the taking of Serbia, and the OPEN !
ng of the road to Turkey, copper and !
in are now no longer on the list of !
worries. Copper is produced in consid !
'rable quantities in Serbia, Bulgaria and E
Turkish Asia Minor, the latter country !
llso producing tin.
Chemicals and other substances needed !,
or the manufacture of explosives have !
lever been really scarce. This is espe- =
tally true of cotton, one of the prin- !,
ipal ingredients in tri-introcellulose ex :,
'losives, OF which gun cotton is the best !
.nown. Ii is considered likely that the
ostly methods in which some of the q
were won, from the nitrogen {,
{ the air. for instance, will be super 81
uous as soon as transport conditions n
rom Anatolia have become normal. In !,
hat part of Ottoman empire many of i
he elements needed in pyro-tcchnic q,
dentistry are found. lo
The food question, by reason of its :,
Magnitude, required much thought and :,
ttention the articles say. 1t affected =
be entire population. No presidents 40
ere available. Mistakes were made,
mt in the end satisfactory results were :
btained. Supplies were husbanded by
.stricting consumption. and speculation
nd price driving were prevented by
king maximum rates for some articles.
nd making the handling Of necessities III
nd commodities for profit" Illegal and -
with heavy fines and impris :.
lment *
War loans were made with little diff 81
lily. say the review. The fact that lit W
e OF the money so raised by the CEN
al powers governments went out OF m
Ie country is largely responsible for n
is. Had Austria Hungary and Ger :
any been able n buy abroad. they -
iRht he in a difficult position to-day. az
pecially since an unrestricted. or partly th
stricted import would in no wise have ar
en- counteracted BY export. With near II,
l20O0000 men under arms. German Il.
"a Austr0 Hungarian industries could III
i hope 70 supply their foreign pur-
asers in measure great enough to -
aintain the balance Of export and inn y, *