The Washington times., 1917-10-20
GERMANY TO
RETAIN HER
SOC|AL|zED
TRADE PLAN
By JAMES W. GERARD.

3---AeNe1@@SA
ls13, TO February {. 1871.
(Oopyright. United States, Canada. and In.
tsrnstionSl. 1911. by the Public Ledger co.,
Ambassador Gerard, 1oho, during the
four years preceding the declaration OF
t0or, toos' IN BerIfn and In constant
touch Goth German affairs, hos tcrttten
q vtOId story Of his experiences. Thu
story The Washington TiRsss IciH pub
kSk IN dolly fHStdIIDseHts, Of tohich the
IolIoS0iH0 70 the thtTty-dfth. No docH.
0sat OF diplomacy So0S ever more vital
~ more Interesting.
OF course, the Prussian junkers
excuse the imposition of the tariff on
food and the regulations made to
prevent the entry Of foodstuffs on
the ground that German agriculture
must be encouraged-first, in order
to enable the population to subsist
in time of war and blockade, and,
secondly, in order to encourage the
peasant class, which furnishes the
most solid soldiers to the imperial
armies.
The nations and business men of
the world will have to face after the
war a new condition, which we may
call socialized buying and socialized
selling.
Not long after the commencement
Of the war the Germans placed a
prohibitive tariff upon the import of
certain articles Of luxury, such as
perfumes, ETC., their object, Of course,
being to keep the German people
from sending money out Of the coun-
try and wasting their money on use
less expenditures. At the same
time q great institution was formed
called the Central Einkauf Gesell-
schaft- This body, formed under
government auspices of men ap-
pointed from civil life, is somewhat
similar to one Of our national de-
Tense boards. Every import Of raw
material into Germany falls into the
hands Of this central buying COM
pany, and II a German desires to
buy any raw material for use in his
factory he must buy it through this
central board.
Central Purchasing Agency.
I have talked with members Of this
board, and they all unite in the be-
lief that this system will be continued
after the war.
For instance, II q man in Germany
wishes to buy an automobile or
pearl necklace or a case of perfumery.
he will be told: You can buy this IL
you buy 1t in Germany. But IL you
have to send to America for the auto
mobile, II you have to send to Paris
for the pearls or the perfumery. you
cannot buy them" In this way the
gold supply of Germany will be hus-
banded, and the people will be either
prevented from making comparatively
useless expenditures or compelled to
spend money to benefit home Industry.
On the other hand, when a man de-
sires to buy some raw materIal-foT
example. copper, cotton. leather,
wheat or something Of that kind-he
will not be allowed to buy abroad
on his own hook. The Central Elm
kauf Gesellschaft will see that all
those desiring to buy cotton or cop
per put in their orders on or before
a certain date When the orders are
all in, the quantities called for will be
added up by this central board and
then one man will be in q position,
representing the board, to go to
America to purchase the 1000. 900
bales Of cotton or 200. 900, 900 pounds
Of copper.
VIII Know Lowest Price.
The German idea is that this one
- g. ~.
abroad TO compete against each other