Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1919-08-02
GERMANY SEARCHING
FOR RUSSIAN OUTLET
Prospect Of Rapid Business
Growth In That Direc-
ton Seen.
BY Carl D. Groat
lUnited press So Correspondent. }

lmted lfeSS ctGIi torres SpQndent.l
Berhn.-(By Mail )-GermaRy Just
now is striving hard te revive the slogan
Business as usual, which plagued
several nations during the war until
they learned that the "as usual didn I
fit with war
With Germany at present, it Is a
struggle between many conflicting elc-
ments not the least of which are de-
creased raw materials, rolling stock,
markets-and an impaired labor sup
ply due to war conditions, lowered food
and Industrial unrest.
But while the government has been
wrestling with Spartaeus aud ncar-Spar-
taeus troubles; with strikes; political
agitation; new constitutions and so on,
German business men have been east
ing about TO get back to work ana trade.
The first concrete evidence Of this
has just come to light with the report
that business men 5 commission has
been making three weeks intestlga.
tion IN Russia with view to findiag an
outlet for German products in that war
weGried land.
While much of Russia is in chaos, the
business men were reported to feel that
there is favorable outlook for them ls
that country.
Germany has considerable machinery
which she can export. One big electrical
supply house according to information,
has sufficient products on hand for
nearly year to come. In this field,
Germcny has been going onward, and
win soon be in the market to do business
with other nations. Before the war, she
eonld export many articles 10 foreign
markets and undersell home products.
This probably will be rather more diff
cult hereafter, because Of limitation of
coal and raw materials, and constenv-
ly increasing cost of labor due to con
stantly recurring strikes and con
stant growth of the soeialization pro.
cess.
One factor overlooked in gcncrol dis
eussions of German business prospects
is her supply of potash. This supply is
unaffected by the peace treaty; ana the
world is clamoring for this for fertilizer
purposes. And Germany can get this
product out at only slightly increased
cost over her previous price, while, at
the same time, she can demand more
marks for it than before in view of the
lowered value of the mark. In this way
she stands to gain considerably from
this one source alone.
This business should prove vast again
within a short time, thus enabling Tho
country to obtain credits foi materiali
from foreign countries.
i German business foresees that il will
be under vast load for long period o.
wears, due to war debts and indemnity
taxes. But the average German busi
ness man is prepared to go at his tasl
anew if he can get stable labor mar
ket and a prospect of profiting later on
:. Sociglization, however, may upse
many of their plans, for there can bi
no question that there is a constant,
increasing trend toward sociallzatlon o.
many lines of business. Until the tim
comes, however, in which business is I
state affair, the German business maj
intends to 70 after fresh trade, as evi
deneed by this freshly completed Russ
ian probe. Germany believes that it eal
reach out to the east for business, ant
this move shows that there is where tn
trend is first going to be.
II was reported that Russia could un
doubtcdly give some agricultural prod
Iucts, particularly eastern Russian eottol
in return for manufactured goods. Thi
however, will probably depend largel,
on transportation facilities which a
present appear to be in bad shape.