The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-19

government in support of this state
meat are conclusive
= 1t is significant that in general tAe
task Of Systematically stripping Bel
| gian factories was entrusted to German
manufacturers. who were the direct
| competitors of the Belgian owners.
| Some of them have taken advantage
of their official positions to steal Sc
| crets OF manufacturing processes, for
| example at the artificial silk shops of
| 0bourg, and personal methods of pro
| duction and sale.
!" Moreover, some Of these author
| lied pillages have let fall admissions,
| which have been reproduced in the
| German press and which leave no room
| for doubt These admissions are strung
/ along throughout the years 1915 to
| 1917; they agree with one another, and
| have become more and more precise as
| the war has gone on. An immense
number of them have been collected
with facsimile reproductions, in the
book by F. Passelecq, published in
1917 The Belgian Ueportations in the
Light of German Documents. In sew
eral of these Germany really casts
confine ourselves to the mention Of
the confession of Dr.. Goethe, head Of
the Union of German glass manufac-
trers. III the irthschaftzeitung der
Zentralmaechte, Economic Gazette of
the Central Powers,) No. 40, of Nov.
10. 1916, i'll regard to a single industry,
that of glass, viz: That the measures
taken by the German administration
have had as their effect and will con
tinue to have as their object to eek
clude definitely and finally all posi-
hllltv OF the unrestricted expectation
OF Belgian glass into neutral foreign
countries.
And rs to the fact that Germany Is
destroying the factories for 4 military
reason without any regard for the
economic needs of Belgium or for the
| rights OF nations, il is sufficient to cite
the following passages from a semi
official note that appeared in the Nord-
deutsehe Allgeineihe Ieitung, No. 392,
Of Dee. IS, 1917, in which Germany dis
tinetly pleads guilty:
| All measures taken in Belgium
are inspired by military necessity.
The exploitation, under military
/ control. of Belgian factories in order to
| repair locomotives and automobiles,
| and also to obtain material OF war for
| the front is carried out for the pur-
| pose OF relieving the strain on German
industry and economizinr transporta.
ton. II has become necessary to strin
the Belgian factories of their macbin-
| cry and other fittings, because all Ger
man industry is busy filing orders for
material of war. By re1iey-
! ing the home market from the neces-
| slty OF charging our own factories we
are accelerating the production OF mu
/ mtions and other products
In consequence of the intense activity
OF all German industry our machinery
and other equipment is tremendously
oFefWofkcd, and must from time 10
| time be partly replaced by new ma
chimes, while, Furthermore, we mu4t
| he able to furnish spare parts RAPIDLY
unless We wish To see our outplt Of
munitions diminish. The machinery
and equipment required for these pul-
| poses are evidently brought from Bel
glan factories. The destruction of
whole factories for the production Of
graPeshot is effected in order to main
ran atits present level the slnpIv
OF iron and steel in Germany or. #
l'NSi"le' 10 raise 1t. Il is
not only possible. but even evident
nat, IN view of all the steps taken hy
the military authorities, the Question
OF keeping mp work in some OF the
| factories OF the occupied country must
pc subofdlnatcd 10 considerations tend
ing to spare the lives Of German sol
a