South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-12-21
j. s. PROMINENT
IN GERMAN TALK
Plans for Commercial Expan-
sion After War Refer to
American Workers.

AMSTERDAM Dec. III CCor-
fespondence. THE United States
assumes an astonishing prominence
in all German discussions OF indus
trial and economic conditions after
the war. Seldom. IL ever. before in
European history has an outside
power been so unanimously conced-
ed a place as a determining factor
IA European affairs. Thus, an arti-
Gle by Prof Frank Eulenburg i,
the Review Welthandel, although
dealing solely with probable com
mercial conditions In Germany after
the war. finds them largely bound
70 with the possibilities of Ameri-
can workers. and the article is filed
with references 20 the United States
ard its commercial future as vitality
threatening Germany.
Prof Eulenburg believes that the
hardships and privations which the
German people have endured and
the discipline which they have
learned. have created in them "A ca
pacity for economy and hard work
which Will be their greatest asset
in the rebuilding Of Germany after
the war, and Will be their greatest
advantage over less well disciplined
peoples like the English and the
American Discipline and rigid
economy. ne declares, will be tho
chief requisites in the great world
task of restoring prices 70 normal
levels.
cone Of the greatest problems
after the war will be that of prices. q"
ne says. For Germany il will be
q question Of life and death that
prices shall fall again from the dizzy
height which they have now attain
ed.
Prices To BE High.
After the war the level in prices
ia the world market generally will
remain high. not only in Germany
but all over the world. The causes
are not the same everywhere. In the
neutral countries and the United
States. 70 is less the shortage Of
goods than imitation that has led to
the dearness Of everything. In some
cases these countries are actually
swimming in gold, and this neces-
sarily involves its deprecia ton. II
comes TO the same in the end. how
ever. whether the cost of production
is increased for this reason or for
that. These countries will there
fore, continue TO have high prices
for a considerable time after the
war. and there, too, people viii have
10 make up their minds 20 a per-
manent rising Of prices.
TN addition, there is a special
obstacle in the difficulty of procur-
ing labor. IL is clear that South
America, eastern Asia, and the
United States after the war viii have
a level Of prices similar to ours.
In these countries also the cost OF
production will continue high for
similar reasons to those cited in the
case Of Germany The United states
viii for a long time have TO do with
ont the stream of workers which
yearly flowed into that country. La
hor In the cotton, wheat and min
ing districts will be scarce for years,
and for that reason wages Will be
high. In view Of the general scar
city OF and demand for raw mate
rails. home prices for good will also
remain high.
THE cost Of production for man
ufactured articles in England. the
United States. Belgium and Switzer-
land. will not be appreciably lower
than in Germany. Thus the compe-
tition in prices by the manufactur-
ing countries appears to be prac-
tcaIly on an equal footing. Even
Japan will not be able 10 offer her
manufactures at such low prices as
TO flood the world market.