Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-12-30
ALBERT BALLIN
FORESAW RUIN Of
. GERMAN BUSINESS
Millionaire Nip Owner Said
to Hav lEnded Life on
Signing Of ArmiStice Warn
ed German Officials,
ASSOCIATED Press Correspondence

NAHsbSiaitu AEteh NOENesUOhutHft
Sidney, Australia, Nov. 30,-Albert
Balm, general director of the Ham
burg-American Steamship company,
who is reported to have committed
suicide Just before the signing of the
armistice, had predicted disaster for
the German overseas trade as an out
come of the war. This is disclosed
by the publication here of letter
which Herr Balm had written in De-
cember, 1917. apparently to DR.
Rothenau, a privy councillor at Ber-
lin. A copy of this letter was made
public here by j, M. Paxton, resi-
dent of Sydney, who received it from
a friend in London. In it BALM de-
clared that whether Germany or Eng
land was victorious in the war the
consequences to German foreign trade
would be disastrous. The letter reads
in part:
Most of what we read in the news
papers as to our preparedness for EN-
barking on brisk trade and manufac-
lures as soon as peace has been con-
cluded is, l fear, written with the
manifest intention of heartening our
people who are VIGOROUSLY ignorant
of our actual economic conditions and
all that threatens them"
He said that the German mercan-
tile marine was in "a perilous condi-
ton" and that the bill to re-establish
and strengthen it. which at the time
of writing was before reichstag would
show no results for at least five years.
In that time Germanys great mari
time competitors, Britain and United
States and Japan and the neutrals
Norway, Denmark and Holland would
profit enormously.
Opposes Submarine Warfare.
Balm reminded his friend that he
G}allin) Yainly begged Berlin author
tiles not to engage in unrestricted
submarine warfare; and he con-
tinued:
you and / know that the Amerf-
cans are probably the most idealistic
nation on the earths surface. In an
tagonizing America we have done q
throw cold shadow on our economic
life for a generation" The latter part
of Ballin's letter ran:
but if / am concerned about our
relations with the United States. ! am
still more anxious about our relations
with Britain / realize as never be-
fore that all the increase in our
wealth, all the success which attend
ed our enterprises in the year before
the war; were owing to our inter-
course with the British empire. Her
home ports, her dominions and coli
onies were freely opened to our ship
pers and traders Sometimes / Won
dered at this generosity. and even
called it folly. Is it to be imagined
for a moment that those old relations
will return?
II am not to be supposed. dear
Herr Geheimrat (privy councilor), as
saying one word IN favor of Britain's
policy in this war / believe that she
entered it from some base motives.
Consider what we are risking. We
look forward to resuming our sea
trade. We build our proudest eXpec-
on this. How are we to re-
sumo 1t in face of an Anglo Saxon
dom which loathes and must loathe
our presence among them?
but we must beat England. you
say, no matter what the consequence.
/ agree. All say is that whether we
beat her or She beats us the conse-
Quences will be the same--disaster to
our oversee trade if Britain so wills
it. We may in the event of victory,
impose all sorts of conditions secur-
ing us most-favored- nation treatment,
securing us free entry into British
ports everywhere. No sane man be-
lieves that these conditions will help
u.s.
"With a hostile British empire,
CALLED and fretted with our military
success, raging at its losses, hopeless
alienated, how are we to procure the
raw material which this empire alone
can supply? That great empire is
self contained and we are not. and all
the military victories and all the wild
will % they isps about Hamburg to
Bagdad' will not help us"
Herr Balm died suddenly in Berlin
on November O. The cause of his
death has not been officially stated,
but 1t has been reported that he had
been summoned to the German army
headquarters and criticised by Cen
eral Ludendorf for opposing plans of
the military party and that BALM
then appealed to the then German
who sustained Ludendorf's
and suggested that Balm
either adopt them or retire from pub
lie life Thereafter, according to re-
ports, BALM appeared to be greatly
depressed in spirit. Some reports re-
ceived IN London stated that he had
committed suicide.