New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-10-12
The Struggle for Lorraine Iron
Evbv Germany Copc and Why Should Property BE Ke'0ed 70
France in The Settlement Of The War
Bv Huntington adams

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: Has not too little attention been paid
70 the Importance Of the question Of Alsace
and Lorraine in this war? Il 1t not one OF
those "jokers" which appear OF secondary
importance TO the uniformed, but when inc
insiders know TO be of economical impor-
lance far greater than all the colonies Oh
Africa, the domination Of the Near East OF
even Belgium?
The basis of modern industrial power IS
coal and iron. The greatest iron ore reserve
of the continent Of Europe. and the only
great reserve OF either France or Germany IS
the relatively small region which lies partly
in Western Lorraine near the French border
and partly in what was left TO France after
1870.
II has long been known that one OF the
chief objects of Prussia In making the war OF
1870 was to secure possession or the iron
mines Of Lorraine. When Germany dictated
the terms Of peace TO defeated France she
claimed that in taking Alsace and Lorraine
she was taking territory which should prop
erly be German, since German was the native
language But it happened that in Lorraine
the language frontier between the people Of
French and German speech left all the iron
field on the French side. See Ripley, THE
Races of Europe" or Toynbee, Nationality
and the War" and any map Of the Lorraine
iron region.) So the political frontier was
drawn to include in Germany all Of the iron
region then known.
Since that time the improvement in methods
htr
drilling and in scientific mining has devel-
oped the fact that not only did the iron beds
Of the Lorraine side of the border continue
over into the territory left to France, though
at a constantly increasing depth southwark,
but that the quantity Of workable iron ore on
the French side was probably greater than
that taken away from her by Germany
Before the War
As things were before this war, therefore,
half of the great iron reserve was under Ger
man government in Lorraine and half OF it
under French government. The German half
was the more productive. This, however, was
rot because of greater enterprise or skill on
the part of the Germans, but because in
mining the iron Germany was freely sup
piled with coal from the nearby Saar coal
field in Germany, while the French were
hindered in development by the obstruc-
tons placed by the Germans upon the entry
Of the same coal to France. Also the iron
on the French side was at greater depths,
and, therefore, more slow to be opened up.
The great iron industry Of Germany, with
It's steel works in Westphalia, grew up as a
result of her control of the iron ore Of Lor-
raine. Eighty per cent OF her iron came from
that field. The French iron industry, mean
while, prevented from receiving a sufficient
supply of coal from the Saar mines and far
removed from the seacoast and other coal
supplies, was prevented from developing.
Therefore to Germany the loss of Alsace
and Lorraine would mean :he loss of control
over her chief source of iron ore. Even if
she were allowed to keep all of Alsace and
that part Of Lorraine where the people speak
German, she would still be in the same pre-
dicament. And, lacking iron mines, she
would be in bad position from which to
start "the next war" IL is for Germany
one of tho most vital points in the whole
issue of the war; for upon the decision as to
the government Of the Preach speaking part