New-York tribune., 1918-05-14
The Invincible u. S.

He who would gain deeper insight
into the causes of the present war might
trace it's origins back to the curious dis
tribution which nature has made of the
materials of present day civilization, and
if you like, more directly, to the inven-
ton of Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, a young
English chemist, who spent his nights
studying at the Birkbeck School, in Lon
don.
1t was the new process for dephos-
phorizing iron, in smelling, that gave
sudden and unexpected value to the vast
iron ore beds of Lorraine and the ada
cent territory. The larger part of these
lay in France, or outside of Germany. If
Bismarck had only known their impor-
tance in 1870! There might never have
been then European war.
For it was directly due to the fact that
the great ore deposits of Europe lay in
this territory, while the larger coal de-
posits were in the Ruhr district and
roundabout, in Germany, that the pres
ent conflict was precipitated. Germany's
ures, the astonishing rise of her export
trade within forty years, were all
pivoted upon her huge possessions of
coal, just as this is the key to the indus
trial greatness of the United States. 1t
was almost wholly her possessions of
coal and iron that made England the
mistress of farreaching empire.
Had Germany not grown rich out of
her coal and iron industries she would
have never had the wealth nor the fac
tories with which to wage the mightiest
war in history. Already her more fore
sighted economists are pointing out that
unless one of the fruits of this war is
the ore fields of France it will be for
Germany barren of its greatest possi-
bilities.
In "The Nineteenth Century, Mr. J.
Ellis Barker, author of "Modern Ger
many" has an important article sum-
ming up the coal and iron resources of
the nations and their probable influence
upon future development. Pointing out
first of all that not only is the worlds
population densest on and around the
actively exploited coalields and that in
the last forty years the consumption of
coal in the world has increased more
than sevenfold, he takes note that while
at the outbreak of the war England and
Germany were producing about equal
amounts of coal, their potential resources
are quite unequal.
Co y,rocopt tpo1,1oJrro Je
the coal reserves of Germany are not less
than twice those of Great Britain and
more than half those of all Europe. But
he neglects to point out that this balance
may soon be disturbed by the develop
ment of the coal resources of Russia.
If the Russian fields should become Ger
many's possession or available to Ger
many her predominance would be still
more increased.
When we turn to the comparative re-
sources in iron, very much the same con-
dition holds. The actual or known re-
times those of Great Britain and sur
pass those of any other European coun-
try. France is her only notable rival
While the coal output and resources of
France are almost negligible, her iron
ore holdings are enormous, practically
equal to those of Germany. But they all
lie close to the German border, and the
first thing that Germany did was to
seize this region and hold it. The dis
tricts occupied by the German troops
welded France two-thirds of her coal
and 80 per cent of her iron.
Germany likewise seized the iron beds
sof Luxembourg and Belgium, Of Poland
and Western Russia. She has also prac-
sstically monopolized the iron exports of
Sweden. She thus possesses to-day, to
.all intents, full two-thirds of Europe's
iron. and potentially at least nearly as
much of its coal. In natural resources
Germany is to-day by far the most
favored industrial nation Of Europe
These are facts which must be squarely
faced.
They would be disturbing if it were
NOT for the unparalleled riches of the
limited States and the North American
continent Last year this country alone
snroduced more coal than Germany, Eng
land. Belgium and France produced in
the last year before the war, and, we may
surnnise. are producing now. We smelted
more pig iron and produced more steel
last wear than these four countries put
topether in the last year of known pro-
sd,ct;on. And our estimated coal and