The Washington herald., 1918-03-16

'COVET FRENCH
IRON DISTRICTS
Ham burger Nachiechten
Suggests Permanent Hold
ingof Longuy and Briey.

The pan-Germans are now demand
ing that Germany retain as conquests
the French iron ore district in French
Lorraine, about Longwy and Briey.
Without these districts Germany has
iron ore only for fifty ycars more.
The demand Is voiced in an editorial
in the Hamburger Nachrichten OF
January II, received here yesterday.
1t backs up a demand to this effect
made by the chamber OF commerce Of
Duisburg.
These iron ore districts lie in the
fan northeastern corner Of France.
They were the first object of the Ger
man attack. They have made possible
the continued German resistance.
They are the reason for the heroic
struggles about Verdun.
The heights OF the Meuse beyond
Verdun dominate to the plain Of the
woevre. leading up to these al-val-
liable deposits. The heroic French de-
fense of Verdun maintained these
heights In their possession and Ger
man operation Of the mines Is con-
tinually menaced by French guns of
large caliber. II the American forces
north OF Toul are to carry through
their offensive the iron mines about
Longyxy and Briey will undoubtedly
be their objective.
The editorial of the Hamburger
Nachrichten shows that the produc-
ton OF the French mines, now going
to Germany, was before the war. a.
10000 tons a year. half of which was
pure iron. This apparently has been
increased since the war began. for
= the paper says that the German mines
would be compelled almost to double
their product of 33.O00.000 tons to keep
UP with the demand II French inn
ports should be cut on after the war.
j "A development on this scale
would be of the greatest danger to
the German Empire" the paper then
continues. "as the continuing pro-
; sductivity of our iron mine industry
is limited to nifty years. Meanwhile
Z the prospects for the continuation Of
the importation Of iron ore into
! Germany are. unfortunately. far from
favorable. The three chief import
ing countries are Sweden. Spain and
France Sweden is contemplating
the development of an iron industry
Of its own, and in the future to ex-
port an increasing amount Of Iron
and iron products in place OF ore.
In Spain the iron supply is ap-
preaching exhaustion. And finally
we cannot count on the willingness
Of France to provide us with the
ore after the war"
After showing that France is the
richest in iron of any European
country through the development of
vast fields in Normandy. as we'll as
, in Lorraine, the editorial continues:
Suggests Mine Destruction.
IF Germany wishes to secure an
iron supply for a whole century-and
It would be frivolous not to take ad-
vantage Of such an oportunlty when
il presents itself-she must take last
!. ing possession of the ore deposits of
Longwy and Briey through a corre-
spending extension OF her imperial
boundaries There Is a still better
reason for this: In case the boundaries
of the empire are not extended, we
must be prepared that in case OF
new war Of revenge waged against
US by France, the mines and factories
situated in German Lorraine viii be
blown up from the very bottom on
the first night after the outbreak of
the war"
It IS declared here that Germany
proposed to France that she hand
over to her these districts ''as a guar
antee of neutrality when the German
Ambassador to Paris was instructed
10 ask what France would do in the
event of war with Russia on July 81,
1914