New Britain herald., 1916-02-10
ENGLAND DID GREAT FAVOR FOR TEUYONS
Blockade Blessing in Disguise for Central Powers, Say Austrians

l tCorrespondence of The Associated 1ress,' l Vienna, Jan. 1.-Economlc condi7 l tions in Austria Hungary, Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey are described as satisfactory in a number of re- 1 views of the year appearing in the Austrian press. Articles on the sub- ] ject keep the war in mind, naturally, and whatever is said has the inten- l tiCn of the Entente to starve the Central Powers into submission as a background.
 l All writers agree in protesting that the almost total cessation of import, 1 dueto Great Britain's attitude on ] contraband, has been a blessing in 1 disguise for the Central Powers, though most annoying at times. Un able to import from oversea markets what formerly had come from abroad, Austria Hungary and Ger many, the writers point out, mobil- :zed economically shortly after the outbreak of the war. The untiliza- ton of home resources and the pre- ventiOn of waste, and later the par tial withdrawal from general con- sumption of stuffs and materials needed to carry on the war, made the two empires economically self-con- tained. 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 coun-
 
 two empires has become accustomed tC the frugality and self-denials which assert that the degree of as- cetism which has been fostered in this manner has become import ant casual agent of military spirit and strength
 Has Interesting Features.
 The economic scheme which the war forced upon Central Europe is not without it's novel and interesting features. In the first place the the ory that money was likely to be the biggest factor in a modern war has been exploded, say the writers. It has been proven that the capacity to resist economically is more import ant, a condition which presupposed both the availability of raw material and a good industrial organization. Germany, it is pointed out, possessed the latter to a high degree, and, ably supported by it's scientists, the em- 1ire was in a position not only to obtain maximum results from it's re- sources and stores, but to augment them, principally by the aid of it's well-developed chemistry and physi- cal sciences Austria Hungary fol- lowed suit, so that at the beginning of 11>I..
 economic waste had been shut.
 One of the most disquieting prob lems was that of metals for military purposes, notably copper, tin and nickel. The metals were needed in large quantities; copper for the guide fanges of the artillery projectiles, and copper and tin together, in the form of brass for shrapnel heads and rifle cartridges while nickel was required for the shells or mantels of rifle bull lets Iron and steel were available in unlimited quantities. Much copper. tin. brass and nickel were during the summer turned over for use of the armies by the population. Thou sands of tons were unearthed in the metal campaigns" These are still going on, but with the taking of Ser bia, and the opening of the road to Turkey copper and tin are now no longer on the list of worries. Con- per is produced in considerable ouan- titles in Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkish Asia Minor the latter country also producing tin.
 Never Really Scarce.
 Chemicals aind other substances needed for the manufacture of ex- plosives have never been really scarce This is especially true of cotton, one Of the principal ingredients in tri- nitrocellulose explosives, of which gun cotton is the best known. It is considered likely that the costly meth ods in which some of the chemicals were won, from the nitogren of the air, for instance, will be superfluous as soon as transport conditions from Anatolia have become normal. In that part of the Ottoman empire many of the elements needed in pyro-technic chemistry are found.
 The food question, by reason of it's magnitude, required much thought and attention, the articles say. It af- fected the entire population. No pre- cedents were available. Mistakes were made, but in the end satisfactory re- suits were obtained. Supplies were husbanded by restricting consumption, and speculation and price driving