The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-02-23
GERMANY RUNNING
BELGIAN INDUSTRY
Rins Albcn's Government Tells of the
Destruction and Exploitation
OF the Country.

The following note by the Belgian
ECvernmens has been received in
America from official sources:
The Nieuwe Ro~tterda.asche Cour-
ant Of December 81, 1917. published
the following telegram dated Berlin.
the same day. Reuter- is sending out
the assertion that the Germans are
pil!aE1ng and denolshing the Belgian
factories IN order TO hamper Belgian
commerce after the wsr. on the cor
trary, German has already. merely
IN her own interest. done everything
che could 10 restore to life the para
bzed industry rf Belgium II she has
OILY partly succeeded the blame rests
entirely ON England. which has Oh
s~tinate'~ opposed every arrangement
to supply the Belgian factories with
raw material
Germany Ia -rylns in vain TO throw
mon cthors the responsibility FOR the
ruin % Belgian industry She iH con
.deunea by the facts and by her own
@5mi=sYcr@
Germany 10 the Immediate author
Of the cessation Of industry In Bel
Etur1. In 1914 and 1915 she seized
al the EXISTING stock Of raw material
II iv e~tviotiy her fAuh that the I'm
p~ortstion q raw material could not
re arranged for. In August n Sen
temheT, 1913, there was submitted to
the British government. sn6 accepted
by Il, a PIN for organizing the sup
ply Of raw material 10 the Industries
q Belgium, under International guar
@ntss analogous TO those which protect
tho supply Of food. To spve the In
di5strisS II Bs,rurn II remained only
70 obtain GermSnv's consent. But h
turned e deaf ear. and the project na-
tuTally had no result. TIE British
government. In = letter published
through the newspapers. officially de-
CARED Germany responsible.
Facforice and Materials Seized.
The German s~7thoritiea then a.
~Er"vated IN" evfis OF Industrial step
Pa &c by ~forsiddinR pub"@ works and
cnnEn9ndcerivR tho factories and met
ais and leather for military purposes
AFTER this they instituted the bar
oaTous system Of deporttnT workrnen
20 perform forced labor in Germany.
2 system which they had 10 interrupt
ofdciaily 7ftsr some months. becaues
L proved revolving 70 the conscience
Of mankind, but ONLY to substitute fer
81 Immediately tNs forced labnr 81
the civilian population, IN work Of
n lttary value. IA order Of the mill
tsry authorities This System is still
being cruoliv maintained IN The zones
wing back 81 the ight'nE line in thu
provinces Of east md west Flanders.
fiainaut, Ngtnur. md Luxembourg.
Meanwhile the command serinx
has Secon1s general, srd affects both
natural and manufactured products
and also tools, motors and mcaps ~
transportation whether mechanical
or animsl Finally. nscai anr aamin-
~istrattvs measures have been taken
to close tho last ~ernaiuing outlets for
Belgian products into neutral coun-
triss
'Thsss facts are tncontev+abr.
They are proved ~ many rules and
populations Officially published by the
German authorities
~ present TIRE rsid upon tire last
economic OF occupied Bel
gfuTr has been carried on 20 such an
ertsnt that the~ are methodtoal1y tax
ing away all tns machinery fr M tbs
factories. which they them selves have
slads idls. in some ca ses to aet II MP
again IN Germany IN other cases "a
break - up and use ~ for grape sfot
The purpose Of thts entire svHtem
OF destruction ts double First, to sup
ply deficiencies in German industry:
secondly, TO put an end to Belgian
competition and ister 70 subject Bel
gian industry to that Of German when
the time comes for re1tttng the fac
tories with machinery after the war
The proofs collected BY the Bel
gtan government in support Of this
statement are conclusive.
Competitors Stripped Plants.
"Tt is significant that tn general the
task of systematically stripping Bel,
gtsn factories was entrusted to Ger
man manufacturers. who were the d.
rect corn p~etttors OF the Bsigian own
erS. Come Of them ia We taken I'D
vantage OF their official positions to
pteaI secrets Of manufacturing pro,
~cesse-, for example at the artificial silk
shops Of CNours, and personal meth.
DDS ~ production and sale.
Moreover, some OF these aufhortB-
81 pils gers have Let fan admissions
which have been reproduced in the
German press and which ieavs no
room for doubt These admissions
are strung along throughout the
Years 1915 TO 1al7. thsv agree with
ons erother. and nave become more
and r0~e rrec'~e as the war has one
On. Al immense number OF them
hsva been collected, with fac-simile
reproductions. in the hook by r. Pas.
selecq. puhlisheF in 1917, The Bel.
efan Decorations In the Light OF
German Documents In several OF
the@e Germany really casts away the
mask. For example, we nay confine
ourselves to M mention OF the con-
fegston Of Dr.. Goet1e. head of the
Union OF German Glass Manufactur-
nre, ' the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. der
Zantrslmaerhte. ~tFconomic Gazette OF
the Central Powers}, No. 40. Of No
vemher 80 1919. IN regard &c a sin ale
industry. that OF glass, vix.t That the
measures taken by the German ad-
Immigration have had as their effect
and win continue 20 have as IN Ne
object 70 exclude definitely and An
ally ali possibility OF the Unrestricted
g. xgartatiUn Of Belgian glass into nsu-
trial foreign countries"