Omaha daily bee., 1918-12-11
Magnitude of German Loss
New York World.

Crushed and defeated, the last stragglers
of its WORKOUT and hopeless army-the army
which was to slash the way to world DONNA
tion-are shutting back beyond the Rhine, TAX
ing their orders from the victorious allies.
The German grand feet, with white flags fly
ing above the German, in sign Of AFFECT sur
render, has sailed into captivity, again under
orders from the victorious allies.
| The international accountant will soon strike
Germany's balance sheet for authoritative his
tory. It will show the price which Germany
has paid and what is still to be paid for its
gigantic and overwhelming failure.
Here are the facts, subject of course to re-
vision when Germany's debit page is finally
audited,
Up to October 81 as reported from Berlin,
$4,000 men had been killed in battle; 100000
had been wounded. The fate of 100000 men
was in doubt and there were 100000 prisoners
in allied camps total Of $4,000: One man
in every seven of the able-boded in Germany
served as soldier.
The German debt to its own people for money
borrowed to carry on the war reaches the gi-
gantic total of $39000000,000, sum so great
that normal methods of taxation under the most
favorable conditions would not produce enough
to pay the interest.
Except for the trade with European states,
all of Germany's commerce is gone. Its over
seas exports before the war reached in the ifs
cal year 1928 total of ST, 494 100000. What
it may be able to recover will take time to tell
Its loss of trade in four years might be figured
at S,000000000.
Through destruction, conhscation or intern
ment, Germany has lost the great bulk of its
sea- going tonnage. Hundreds of its finer ships
are now in possession of the allies. Recent hg-
| ures place the value of the ships now in Amer
lean hands, including few OF Austria's, at 1884,,
| 100000.
All the German colonies, wherever situated,
have been captured German East Africa with
931 ,460 square miles. is four times as large as
Germany. The islands in the Pacific cover 96,-
| 100 square miles and the Asiatic colony 200
square miles. All are lost. These were the
basis Of Germany's hope for great colonial
scheme. Their population aggregated nearly
| 100000, or almost one-fourth as many as pos
sessed by Germany alone.
moment being formed into independent states.
| Just how much OF eastern Germany will be left
| when the process is complete may not now be
| said. Alsace-Lorraine, taken from the French
| following the Franco-Prussian war; has been
| redeemed. Denmark may redeem a German
state on its border which it lost to Germany
years ago.
Fully one-third of all the iron deposits
from which Germany derived its supply are no
| longer in its possession. The great Briey min
| ing district is at the moment occupied by Amer
| lean troops.
The economic wastage due to the war will
| reach figure of amazing proportions. Through
lack of upkeep the German railroads could
! scarcely be in worse condition Tens of thou
sands of vehicles and automobiles are mere
ramshackles The productiveness of the land is
| not within 50 per cent of what it once was, due
to the shortage of fertilizers. What these losses
are in money may not be estimated