New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-12
ECONOMICS In
A STATE APART
German Embassy Issues
Statement on Conditions
In Empire for 1916

In Empire Ioi 'oiV
TIL. German Embassy at Washing
ton has issued a commercial bulletin
setting forth some interesting aspects
Of German economic life in 1918. In
erpIainine the purpose Of the publica-
tIon the embassy says the mail censor
| shin and the confscation of German
newspapers has lately prevented Amer
lean business men from keeping In
touch with business life In tho empire
Germany's combined yield OF wheat
and rye In 1916 is estimated in the
bulletin at 5s2,5so, 900 bushels, com
pared with 47b, 100000 In 1918. $780,
zoe, 900 In 1914 and 614,Sso, 900 in 1913.
"Ths 1918 yield was Disappointing
the bulletin says, "but the deficit was
made up by imports from Rumania'
which supplied 51,24O,ooo bushels OF
cereals, including corn. between Sep
tember, 1915, and August, 1916. Ihe
harvest Of 1915 surpassed the previous
year, plus the Rumanian imports, by
about 100000 bushels"
In the opinion Of the embassy ON
ci.ls who prepared the bulletin the
great Increase in the German crops for
1915 shows that there are no visible
sirns Of soil exhaustion. The bulletin
adds: Tho newly occupied territory
Of RumAnia Is very fertile. Large crops
can be raised on II when titled by
modern methods. An ample margin
Of safety for the feeding Of the Ger
man population Is thus assured. The
price of wheat in Germany is $3.50
bushel. The price Of rye, which Is
largely consumed, is sl.43 bushel'
The average price Of wheat in Eng
land at the end Of 1916 was s2.O6
bushel.
1.-THE barley and oat yield shows sim
liar variation and even greater i'm
provement; the 1915 crop surpasses
tho previous crop by 12s,oOo,oOo bush
els. Tho pre-war barley consumption
Of tho breveries Is curtailed by So per
cent TO rs per cent, thus providing an
! additional 14,5oo, 900 bushels for other
purposes. These grains have been
| mainly used In Germany for dofer-
apart from the quantities matted by
| the breweries. Breakfast foods were
scarcely known. The large quantities
of cereals now available will bring
about q change A certain amount Of
barley Is used for making coffee sub
stitutes."
Tho Livestock Problem
The chief problem Of the German
food supply has been that concerning
| the raising of livestock. I'm normal
times" says the bulletin, "the country
subsists mainly on home sources or
meat. Large quantities Of fodder are
/ imported. When these imports were cut
off by the war and the fodder crop Of
/ 1915 was seriously reduced, a whole
/ sale slaughter of hogs ensued. The
meat supply Of the civil population
was strictly rstioned, and is reduced to
| 28.6 pounds a year, which is quarter
of the per capita consumption before
| the war. An increase is expected in
| February.
"The curtailment is said to be due
/ less to actual scarcity than to the ne
cessity Of making excellent provision
for the army and of being prepared for
all contingencies by insuring recupera-
| ton Of the herds"
Certain American agricultural ex-
perts have pointed out recently that the
| lack Of fertilizers in Germany is seri-
ously affecting the yield Of agricultural
products. On the subject of fertilizers
/ the German Embassy says:
Agriculture in Germany depends
largely on artificial fertilizer, especial
/ " potash, of which she has practically
a monopoly. She formerly supplied the
fields of the world. Since the war this
production is mainly reserved for Ger
man needs, during the first nine months
of 1916 more than 100000 tons hav-
ing been used by the farmers. Al
present no figures of the production OF
nitrates are available. as nitrate is
one of the important ingredients in the
manufacture of ammunition. IL IS
known, however, that the technical
methods of gaining nitrate from the
air have been developed TO a point
where Germany hopes to be independ-
ent Of foreign sources after the war.
The total output is equal TO the pre-
war demand of German agriculture. IL
will be doubled as soon as extensions
now under construction are completed
Some Of the newly established concerns
are doing we'll financially, such as the
Bavarian Nitrate Factory, which paid
IA per cent for 1916 and the capital
Of which has been increased 10 $780,
900. Nitrate is sold at 10 cents a pound
c. i. T., reduction of l 4 cents COM
pared with the previous year.
"Phosphates are largely obtained from
slags, formerly worthless and trou-
blesome residue Of the blast furnaces
but now transformed into fertilizer
rich In phosphoric acid, the so-called
Thomssmeal.
Coal Supply Is Large
Industrial Germany is not lacking in
an adequate supply Of coal, according
70 the bulletin. Before the war about
175 100000 tons were mined annually
The output for 1916 was approximately
SO per cent 100000, 900 tons), or about
equal to the German consumption III
normal years, when the excess of ex'
ports over imports was nearly 10000
600 tons. II is pointed out that not al
the coal mined is available for home
consumption at present, as portion is
required for export 10 neutral neigh
boring countries, especially Sweden and
Switzerland. According 20 the German
Swiss agreement of September 90 Swift
land receives 100000 tons a month
valued at about Sl,2O0,000, or about