Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-12-24
THE POTASH MONOPOLY.
Goes From Germany With the Prov.
ince of Alsace-Lorraine.

Il
inee Of AIsaee-Lorraine.
| The cotton farmers OF the south
will rejoice over the loss 10 Germany
OF the world monopoly Of potash.
They have felt the dire need OF this
fertilized ingredient since the out
break of the war in 1914. says q
Washington dispatch.
DR.. Felix Pinner the financial edi-
tor OF The Berliner Taseblatt, in dis
cussing the economic effect OF the loss
OF Alsace- Lorraine TO Germany. points
! out that Alsace- Lorraine is, not only
one of the most highly developed
manufacturing parts OF the empire.
but also, what is far more important,
one of the chief sources Of raw ma
terials with which Germany is not any
too we'll supplied.
1.-The loss of raw material is final
and irreplaceable. The mere mention
Of ore, potash and petroleum is suffi-
cient to indicate the significance Of
Alsace- Lorraine as regards raw ma
terfals.
at Is stated that as to petroleum,
Alsace produced prior to the war AZ
per cent of the total amount Of 120,-
900 tons Of crude oil produced in Ger
many, and while the yield has in
creased somewhat lately. it is still of
slight importance as compared with
the total German consumption Of pc
troleum. The potash deposits are of
far greater Importance, both from an
economic and politico- economic stand
point. 1t is true that the potash de-
posits in the other parts Of Germany
are more than sufficient for domestic
consumption and export. But the loss
of the Alsatian deposits (about 10
mines belonging mostly to the Ger
man potash syndicate) will deprive
Germany of the world, monopoly
which it has heretofore enjoyed and
take away from 1t one Of the few
weapons of economic defense. While
the statement in the Allied press to
the effect that the Alsatian deposits
will be sufficient to provide potash |
for all countries outside Of Germany
may be exaggerated. the fact remains
that the loss of these deposits Is OF
extreme Importance. The potash
monopoly, the writer asserts, enabled |
Germany not only to fix the prices for
foreign markets above those for do
mestic consumption. but also to offer
an important product in exchang for
raw materials produced by countries
depending on German potash. The
loss Of the Alsatian deposits will
therefore put an end to the independ- |
.ent export policy of Germany as re-
CARDS potash and will force II either
to cut prices or enter into an agree
ment with the new owners Of the
Alsatian deposits.
"The most severe blow will be the
loss of the iron ore deposits. It Is
safe to state that without the acquisi-
'tion of the Lorraine iron ore. deposits
m 1871 the astonishing Development
OF thgsG sGelHan; iEca ssd. .stseb al ~
'I1y would be iinthinkable. From
few million tons the German iron and
steel production increased within the
two decades preceding the outbreak OF
war to 100000 tons, far outdistanc-
ing the British production and being
/ O.O0O. 900 tons behind the American
production. The importance of the Lor-
inc deposits is not indicated by the
iron and steel production of Alsace-
Lorraine 2,oS6.35i tons in 1879, but
by the fact that the entire iron and
steel industry Of the western part OF
Germany. particularly in the Rhenish
Westphalia and Saar districts. de-
pended to n large extent on Lorraine
minettc. The Lorraine and LuXcm-
burg mines (thc Luxcmburg mining
industry being closely connected with
that of Lorraine and the separation
of Lorraine will probably mean the
loss Of LuXcmburg as a member OF the
German Custom union) supplied In
1913, IS, 100000 tons of iron ore out OF
total of 35.000,000 tons for the whole
of Germany, or II per cent on the ba-
sis OF metallic content. The loss OF
Lorraine would therefore. mean that
for n large part Of its iron ore needs
Germany would depend on foreign |
countries. while in 1913 1t imported /
foreign ore to the extent of about A.
600 900 tons, with the metallic content
of 7,7O0.OO0 tons. 1t is true that Ger
many will still he able to import ore
from Sweden. Spain, Russia, and. per-
haps even from France. but the raw
material basis of its industry will be
narrowed to such an extent as to en-
danger is maintenance and further
development"
Experts here think it will not DE
long until cotton growers can have all
the potash they need.