The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-01-28
NATION Of SUBSTITUTES
Employment of limitations
Forced on Germany
Since War Began.

-(Corresp0ndence Of the As
ISOLATED Press. 1.-The extent to which
substitutes and limitations are rampant
in Germany today form one Of the
most interesting subjects of the now
seasonable reviews. The ''ersatz''-
now common not only in the line of
foodstuffs but in the chemical industry.
textiles and metals. Though from time
to time indications OF this change In
German life have become known abroad
there have lately appeared interesting
summaries which afford sharper To-
Gus on the situation. Some of the items
in this development. under their
respective. heads, are as follows:
Saltpeter: Before the war Germany
imported annually over $4O,O00,0OO
worth of saltpeter for agricultural and
ammunition purposes. mainly from
Chile, and all of this regular supply was
lost at the outset of the war. Today
countless factories in Germany are
manufacturing saltpeter. whereas be-
fore the war there were only few
such experimental establishments, and
Germany is now able not only to sup
ply the increased amount of saltpeter
necessary for ammunition. but also
has been able to furnish all that is
necessary for fertilizers.
Aluminium: Before the war the sup
ply OF bauxite for the manufacture of
aluminium had been imported from
France. and the cutting off of this sup
ply led German scientists to discover
n process of aluminium manufacture by
electricity from ordinary clay.
Mineral Oils. Chemical experts in
the German coal fields have discovered
new ways of extracting oils from their
coal, partly relieving the serious con-
dition resulting from the cutting off of
mineral oil imports which, in 1913.
amounted to no less than $277,000,000.
Rubber: Germany lost practically
all of her imports of rubber, and to
offset this shortage she has substitute
ed steel for rubber in innumerable cases
where rubber had been used purely
for its elasticity. Further, the perfec-
ton of the submarine merchandising
made it possible to bring in enough
new rubber to last for another eight
months.
Graphite: Ceylon was the exclusive
source of supply of graphite used in
Germany before the war, because the
Ceylon graphite has been dependent
upon the inferior Bavarian graphite.
but German chemists have been able
to find process by which the Bavari-
an article can be purified to 81 per
cent standard.
Rosin: Supplies of this had come
exclusively from America and France.
but German chemists have now become
able to produce all that is needed from
the German forests. or are able to use
as a substitute for rosin the by prod
ucts Of wood and coal.
Textiles: Paper has been adapted
in innumerable instances to serve for
cloth. BY using protoxide of sodium,
sulphite cellulose and paper. a very
durable and satisfactory thread has
. been evolved, which. in turn, lends
girdles, doilies, aprons, working gar
ments wrapping cloth and thread and
string. The inventors have discov-
cred a way to give the paper cloth
great resistance to dampness. Cellu-
lose has been found to lend itself to
the production of gun cotton when
combined with other chemicals, and
nettles have proved themselves to be
the source of cotton batting, thread
yarn, coloring matter and even food
stuffs. Dresses and other clothes are
being manufactured out Of artificial
cotton and wool. as they sometimes
We're in peace times. Even the reeds
that grow on the banks of lakes and
ponds are being used to make artifi-
: cial cloths.
Copper: Almost the only "unsub-
. stitutible" substance has been copper
! but there has been found to be a
plenty Of that on hand in German in